Taylor Family Announces $22 Million in Donations To St. Louis Area Organizations

ST. LOUIS, May, 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Guided by the vision and leadership of Enterprise Holdings founder and patriarch Jack C. Taylor, the Taylor family has announced $22 million in contributions to a wide variety of charitable and educational organizations that support underserved communities and youth in the St. Louis region.

"My father instilled in all of us a strong belief in giving back to the community, especially here in our hometown of St. Louis," said Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Jack Taylor's daughter and president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation. "These donations complement past contributions we've made to organizations that meet many community needs and expand opportunities for youth. We see an even greater need today to continue supporting organizations that make life better in our underserved communities – especially for the young people in those communities who are St. Louis's future."

The contributions will benefit the following organizations:

• $5 million to the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, to support early-childhood education
• $5 million to Ranken Technical College, to fund scholarships for low-income students
• $2 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, for ongoing operations
• $2 million to the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri, to provide scholarships designated for North City/County Catholic schools
• $2 million to St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation, which helps provide dental services for underserved youth and includes support for its Raising St. Louis early-childhood program
• $1.5 million to KIPP St. Louis, to support charter schools
• $1 million to City Academy, for scholarships
• $1 million to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, to fund technology infrastructure, software and staffing for its "Ferguson Community Empowerment Center" building
• $1 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, to support its ABCToday!® initiative, which helps students succeed in school and improve reading and math skills
• $1 million to Our Little Haven, for additional staff resources and facility upgrades
• $500,000 to the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, to fund scholarships for low-income students in North City/County

"Our family loves St. Louis, and we know that this region can only move forward if we all move forward together. That's what this series of contributions is all about," said Kindle. "It's an investment we're grateful to make in a community that has been so good over the years to our family, our company and our employees."

Since Jack Taylor founded Enterprise in 1957, his small start-up has grown to become the world's largest car rental company, with more than 86,000 employees in more than 70 countries and territories, including more than 5,000 employees in the St. Louis area alone. Enterprise Holdings – still headquartered in St. Louis – owns and operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name include Enterprise Fleet Management, Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Truck Rental, Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Rideshare, and Zimride by Enterprise.

In total, the Taylor family, as well as the Crawford Taylor Foundation and the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, have donated more than $58 million to underserved communities and youth in the St. Louis region during the last 30 years.

"St. Louis is very fortunate to have a family like the Taylors," said Jane Donahue, president and CEO of the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation. "On behalf of all the children and families who will benefit from these gifts, we are grateful for their generosity and for all they do to make our region a better place."

SOURCE The Taylor Family