Ford Credit Brings Holiday Cheer to More Than 600 Foster Children in 'Operation Good Cheer'

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 5, 2003 -- The lobby of Ford Credit literally is brimming with a mountain of holiday gifts today as Ford Credit employees ring in the 2003 holiday season by providing more than 1,800 festively wrapped presents for foster children as part of Operation Good Cheer.

Ford Credit employees will join Ford Credit President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Banister to present this year's gifts to Sharon Vichcales, Administrative Director of Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc., the program's sponsoring organization.

"Santa Claus himself would be hard-pressed to beat the holiday giving spirit of Ford Credit's employees," Bannister said. "I'm proud to be one of them because without their dedication and donations, many children would be without gifts and feel left out during this holiday season."

As part of Operation Good Cheer, Michigan children in foster care made up their personal wish lists. Ford Credit employees "adopted" more than 600 of the children, buying and wrapping at least three gifts from each child's wish list. Although donors never see the children they help, they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to fulfill children's wishes.

"For nearly two decades, Ford Credit employees have sent gifts across Michigan to children with the hope that we will impact their lives for the better," said Wendy Leland, Operation Good Cheer co-chair at Ford Credit. "We may not see their faces on Christmas morning but we can imagine their delight and take comfort in bringing the joy of the holidays to children who otherwise might not have reason to celebrate."

Several companies have provided vehicles, fuel, and drivers to Child and Family Services of Michigan to help them gather the gifts from Ford Credit and other donors throughout the state and deliver them to Oakland County International Airport. There, with the assistance of more than 100 volunteers, the gifts will be sorted and distributed throughout Michigan in time for Christmas.

Since 1984, Ford Credit employees have taken part in Operation Good Cheer and have given nearly 30,000 gifts to more than 9,500 foster children in Michigan. The program originated in 1971 when Ford Motor Company employees, in partnership with Child and Family Services of Michigan, began pooling their money to donate funds to a worthy cause.

Ford Credit participates in several other charitable events throughout the year, including the Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure event, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Global Walk, as well as the United Way and the American Red Cross.

Now in its 45th year, Ford Credit is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company that provides vehicle financing in 36 countries to more than 11 million customers and more than 12,500 automotive dealers. More information about Ford Credit can be found on the World Wide Web at www.fordcredit.com .