The Chrysler Foundation Donates $100,000 to Japan Relief Efforts; Pledges to Match an Additional $100,000

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• American Red Cross to receive $100,000
• Additional employee and dealer contributions matched up to $100,000

The Chrysler Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chrysler Group LLC, announced today it will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross for Japan disaster relief efforts. Additionally, the Foundation will match employee and dealer Red Cross contributions up to an additional $100,000.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Japan," Jody Trapasso, President – The Chrysler Foundation said. "We are confident that Chrysler employees, contractors and dealers will once again respond to help others in need, which is why the Foundation will also match their generous contributions."

The Chrysler Foundation has a long history of providing humanitarian aid throughout the United States and the world.

Within days of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a $10 million Help the Children Fund was established for the children of victims. Chrysler employees, retirees and dealers raised another $400,000 for the scholarship fund and many employees worked at the recovery site or collected donations of supplies.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, The Chrysler Foundation contributed $550,000 for disaster relief, including $150,000 in matching funds. The donations were distributed to the American Red Cross, The United Way and food banks in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The Company also donated 100 vehicles and supplies, collectively valued at $4.4 million.

The Foundation also provided $100,000 for flood relief and cleanup programs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2008, and $100,000 for wildfire disaster relief in San Diego in 2007. Both of these initiatives also involved volunteers and in-kind support from Chrysler Group dealers.

In 2010, the Foundation donated $100,000, $50,000 each to Oxfam America and the United States Fund for UNICEF, to support humanitarian relief and recovery efforts in Haiti after that country's devastating earthquake. Later that year, the Foundation contributed $50,000 to the village of Dundee, Mich., and another $50,000 to ISOH/Impact in Perrysburg, Ohio, for relief efforts following severe tornadoes that hit Michigan and Northern Ohio.

About The Chrysler Foundation

During the past 58 years, The Chrysler Foundation has established a proud legacy of enriching the physical, educational and cultural needs of local communities in which Chrysler Group LLC conducts business. Chrysler employees also have a strong commitment to helping improve their communities by volunteering their time and talents in the places where we live and work.

The Chrysler Foundation embodies the values of the Company and its employees and, since its inception, has awarded more than $500 million in charitable grants.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC