Mazda and NBCUniversal Announce Mazda Drive for Good Nonprofit Contest Winner
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IRVINE, CA -- December 4, 2015: Have you ever spent your birthday in a hospital? It feels like a forgotten day, a skipped year, and a passed moment. No child should ever have a missed birthday while in the hospital. That's why Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), through the Mazda Drive for Good® program and partnership with NBCUniversal, has selected The Confetti Foundation as the recipient of $30,000 in goods and services as part of its Mazda Drive for Good contest. You can imagine, picking one nonprofit who does great things for those in need was quite the challenge. So this year, the Mazda Drive for Good program and NBCUniversal have selected four additional nonprofits to each receive $10,000 in goods and services!
"I have personally seen children in hospitals whose families couldn't afford to come visit them, let alone give them a birthday party," said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO, MNAO. "This year we are expanding our reach and honoring four additional nonprofits for their hard work in their local community. We hope our donation, plus any additional awareness we can raise for these organizations, helps them toward achieving their missions."
The Mazda Drive for Good contest ran from October 14 to October 28, 2015. Nonprofits, or their representatives, were encouraged to enter their story and explain what their organization is doing to help improve their local community. Initially, Mazda Drive for Good was going to donate $30,000 in kind to one lucky organization, however, in reading all of the stories, Mazda made the decision to donate $10,000 in kind to four additional organizations.
The Mazda Drive for Good winter event is in its third year of fundraising and in 2015 Mazda will continue its donation of $150 per new Mazda sold or leased between November 23, 2015 and January 4, 2016. Over the last two years, Mazda has donated more than $7.9M to nonprofit organizations. While monetary giving is always important, Mazda believes its biggest contribution is its volunteering. Every test drive of a new Mazda taken throughout the same time period triggers a pledge by Mazda of one hour of charitable service to be paid back in 2016. Over the last two years, Mazda has helped local charities by donating over 120,000 volunteer hours through its corporate, dealer and partner employees.
The Confetti Foundation
The Confetti Foundation is a
non-profit organization supplying birthday parties to children who have to
spend their birthday in the hospital. Although the party is not a cure, it
is a welcomed distraction to an unpredicted circumstance.
confettifoundation.org
A Little Help
A Little Help connects neighbors across ages to
enhance lives and strengthen our communities. As a nonprofit organization
operating in Colorado since 2007, A Little
Help empowers older adults to thrive in their homes and communities with
the help of neighbors of all ages who volunteer for direct services
including transportation, yard work, snow shoveling, handiwork, technology
support, care calls, friendly visits, primary caregiver respite, and home
organization and cleaning. Beyond service provision, A Little Help forges
intergenerational, reciprocal relationships among neighbors to celebrate
our elders and share their gifts through social programs and community
events. A Little Help is a member of the national Village to Village
Network that connects the senior village movement across the country. To
learn more, visit alittlehelp.org.
Autism Academy of South
Carolina
The Autism Academy of South Carolina is a
not-for-profit organization offering individualized Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) therapy to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The
Autism Academy was founded in 2010 by Dan and Lorri
Unumb, whose first-born child Ryan has autism, after they toured the
country studying best-practice autism centers. Rather than moving to
another state to ensure quality care for Ryan, the Unumbs decided to help
all autism families in their home state by opening a treatment center in
South Carolina. The Autism Academy strives
to help children with autism acquire the skills necessary to become fully
capable members of their communities, ultimately able to prosper without
the need for intensive intervention. The Autism Academy's team of highly
qualified professionals is dedicated to improving the lives of children and
families struggling with Autism through one-on-one, center-based
intervention; free training and supervision for current and aspiring ABA
professionals; parent training; school consultation; social skills groups;
and summer camps. autismacademyofsc.org.
About Helping Hands Orange County
Helping Hands Orange County
is a 501c3 charity founded in 2013 to provide immediate, tangible
assistance to individuals and families within our community. In addition to
providing immediate emergency support for people in need, we also have
projects throughout the year to offer ongoing support in partnership with
other local organizations. For more information, please visit
helpinghandsoc.com or facebook.com/helpinghandsoc.
Restoration Automotive
Restoration Automotive, Inc. (RA) is a
501(c)(3) non-denominational ministry committed to serving the automotive
needs of the community by providing affordable, quality, and honest auto
repair service to anyone who needs it. Since opening January 1, 2008, RA
averages over $9,000.00 a month in auto repair assistance and has provided
(to date) over 1 million dollars in relief to deserving families across
Central Ohio. RA collaborates with more than a dozen churches, six other
industry affiliates and has nearly 200 active volunteers. Through
additional efforts such as the annual "Cruisin' for Restoration" Auto Car
and Bike Show, Direct Impact Car Donation Program, and the Drive Program,
RA finds ways to spread the love of God, help families and restore lives.
More information can be found online at restorationauto.org/