Subaru Facebook Fans Vote to Share Their Love with the Make-A-Wish Foundation®

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. today announced its newest Share The Love charity beneficiary, the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080325/SUBARULOGO )

For the first time, Subaru invited Facebook fans to vote on a charitable organization for the automaker's fourth annual Share The Love event. After three weeks of voting, Facebook fans added the Make-A-Wish Foundation to a roster of charities anticipated to receive a collective $5 million in donations from Subaru. The Share The Love event, which donates $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased from Nov. 19 through Jan. 3, has donated nearly $15 million to charitable causes since the program's inception three years ago. The other recipient organizations that will benefit from this year's program include American Forests, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), Meals On Wheels Association of America, and Special Olympics.

"At Subaru, we support causes that our owners are also passionate about. This year we took the Share The Love event a step further and asked our Facebook fans to decide which organization they'd like to add to the designated charities for this year's event. We're absolutely delighted to welcome the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the People's Choice to join our existing charities," said Brian Johnson, national advertising manager, Subaru of America, Inc.

Bringing the "power of love" to the people

Facebook community members were given the exclusive opportunity to vote for their favorite charity through the Subaru of America Facebook page from Aug. 25 through Sept. 15. During the three-week period, the Make-A-Wish Foundation received the most votes, making the organization the People's Choice for the added charity.

"A Make-A-Wish^® experience has the power to make a child with a life-threatening medical condition stronger and more optimistic, and the 'Share The Love' event offers a meaningful way to support our efforts to grant every eligible child a wish," said David Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. "The Make-A-Wish Foundation thanks Subaru for this chance to make life better for more children and communities. We also are grateful for the incredible support that led to our selection."

2011 Share The Love Charitable Beneficiaries

With the addition of the newest charity, consumers who purchase or lease a Subaru vehicle during this year's event can designate the $250 Subaru donation to any of the following organizations:  

• American Forests: restores and protects rural and urban forests worldwide. It is the oldest national conservation nonprofit in the country and the only one focused exclusively on forests.
• The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®): works to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws and share resources with shelters across the country.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. It has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since 1980.
• Meals On Wheels Association of America: provides national leadership to end senior hunger, offering home-delivered-meal services to people in need.
• Special Olympics: provides year-round sports and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

"We're proud to host the Share The Love event and we're happy to donate to our customers' favorite causes. With their help, and when this year's event comes to a close, we anticipate that Subaru will have donated nearly $20 million to deserving charities over the last four years. It just shows how much the power of love can do," Johnson added.

For more information on the Subaru Share The Love event or to find a Subaru dealer near you, visit www.subaru.com.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information, visit wish.org.

Follow the Subaru of America Facebook page and subaru_usa on Twitter.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States.  Subaru boasts the most fuel efficient line-up of all-wheel drive products sold in the market today based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy standards.  All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information, visit www.subaru.com.

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.