The Chrysler Foundation Donates $50,000 to AmeriCares to Support Disaster Relief Efforts in Hard Hit U.S. States

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• Cash donation helps AmeriCares U.S. Disaster Relief Fund aid survivors of recent tornadoes and floods across the country

The Chrysler Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chrysler Group LLC, today announced a donation of $50,000 to aid families displaced from their homes as a result of the large number of recent natural disasters hitting many states across the country. The donation will support AmeriCares U.S. Disaster Relief Fund which provides medical aid, bottled water, hygiene products and relief supplies to survivors of tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters here at home.

"The enormity of the devastation to communities throughout the South and America's heartland is heartbreaking," said Jody Trapasso, President – The Chrysler Foundation. "AmeriCares is already on the ground helping the many people impacted by the floods and tornadoes and the Foundation donation offers a means to expand their efforts."

AmeriCares (www.AmeriCares.org) is a nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in need around the world and across the United States. Historically, for each $100 donated, AmeriCares delivers more than $3,500 in emergency relief and humanitarian aid, including medicines, medical supplies and nutritional supplements.

The Chrysler Foundation has a long history of providing humanitarian aid throughout the United States and the world. In the past year, the Foundation has made cash donations to support earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan; tornado relief efforts in Dundee, Mich., and Perrysburg, Ohio; and earthquake relief in Haiti.

The Foundation also supported flood relief and cleanup programs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2008; wildfire disaster relief in San Diego in 2007; and Hurricane Katrina aid in 2005.

Many of these initiatives also involved volunteers and in-kind support from Chrysler Group employees, retirees and dealers.

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.

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