Honda Heroes Help Disadvantaged Youth Learn to Drive

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – Oct 31, 2011: The Honda Foundation and Rex Gorell Honda have presented a new Honda Civic to child welfare organisation, MacKillop Family Services, for their ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program.

Living in residential or foster care, children may not have the same opportunities that children living with their families might have. Learning to drive provides an independence on which most people come to rely, and this typically starts with many hours behind the wheel of a parent’s car.

Chairman of The Honda Foundation, Lindsay Smalley, holds high regard for the program. “We are pleased to be supporting a program that helps to develop independence in disadvantaged youth, and also teaches safety skills that make driving a positive experience.”

MacKillop Family Services was formed in 1997 as a re-founding of the earlier works carried out by its founding congregations. They are now one of the largest providers of support services to disadvantaged and vulnerable youth and their families. The organisation provides over ninety services including the support of disadvantaged families, such as those raising a child with a disability, and youth education and training services.

Children who have been placed in residential or foster care and are approaching independent living, are given the means to learn a skill that many others take for granted. The ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program was developed to equip young people in MacKillop’s care, with the driving skills they require to stay safe on the roads. The program provides the means for fourteen youths to acquire their learners and probationary driver’s permits.

The Honda Foundation’s Honda Heroes program loan vehicles to charitable organisations in need. The nature of the program required an emphasis on safety and reliability when selecting a vehicle. The Honda Civic has a range of modern safety features, including six airbags and an engineered body structure that offers added protection to the driver and passengers.

Rex Gorell Honda was eager to jump on board and assist the ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program. “This chance to support young people in the Barwon Community is really important for us,” said Brett Gorell.

Bernard Lamb, Director of MacKillop’s Out-of-Home Care services said; “By learning how to drive and getting the important driving education they need, these young people will be safe and responsible on the road, and able to engage with the community through better access to employment and training opportunities”.

The Honda Foundation aims to provide assistance to local communities and foster goodwill among Honda Australia, Honda Motor Vehicle Dealers and the public. It draws funding from Honda Dealers and Honda Australia who donate $15 ($5 and $10 respectively) for every Honda car sold.

For more information on The Honda Foundation and the organisations it supports, please visit www.hondafoundation.org.au