Third Annual ‘teamGM Cares Week’ Celebrates Commitment to Giving Back

DETROIT, September 9, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Communities and nonprofits across the country will receive a helping hand from General Motors’ employee volunteers next week as part of the company’s third annual “teamGM Cares Week.” From delivering Teddy Bears to cancer patients to cleaning up beaches and neighborhoods, countless projects will take place from Sept. 8-12. 

“Along with our commitment to customers, our company is dedicated to giving back and supporting the communities in which we live and work,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “Through the philanthropic efforts of the GM Foundation and our employee volunteers, we look for opportunities to make a difference and positively impact those in need.”

Last month, more than 3,000 GM employees participated in Life Remodeled, a weeklong effort during which teams helped remodel a public high school in a high-crime area of Detroit and worked to board up 254 vacant houses; remodel 16 others and clear brush and debris from 170 blocks around the school.

Examples of projects that will take place during the week of service, or during other specially designated volunteer times, include:

Arizona

• Volunteers from GM’s IT Innovation Center in Chandler, Ariz. have partnered with Build-A-Bear to provide new, outfitted stuffed animals to children at Cardon Children’s Medical Center. Other volunteer activities include preparing food boxes with Feed My Starving Children and Packages for Hope, benefiting U.S. veterans.

Michigan

• Nearly 50 volunteers from GM facilities across Southeast Michigan will participate in the Detroit Blitz Build with Habitat for Humanity Detroit. They will perform various construction activities in the Morningside Commons Neighborhood, including a GM Foundation-sponsored home.
• Volunteers from the Warren Technical Center will assist at local food banks including Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Food Bank.
• About 150 volunteers will work on the Junction Street Clean Neighborhood project, a longstanding community initiative that connects Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, Ideal Group and other local businesses to their neighbors. GM volunteer teams will remove blight, pick up trash, cut grass and paint over graffiti in a beautification effort.
• 170 volunteers from GM’s Flint-area facilities and Warren Tech Center will volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County, assisting in construction efforts for home builds in the area.

Georgia

• Volunteers from the GM IT Innovation Center in Roswell, Ga. will join the United Way to sort items in preparation for sale at the North Fulton Community Charities thrift store.

Indiana

• Nearly 40 volunteers from GM’s Marion Metal Center will volunteer with community agencies including a hospital and senior center performing various duties. Additionally, the group will join Habitat for Humanity of Grant County to assist in construction for a local home build.

Maryland

• Volunteers from the GM Baltimore Transmission Plant will pack food at the Maryland Food Bank.

New York

• Employees from the GM Lockport facility are hosting a Food Drive to support food pantries across Niagara County. Additionally, volunteers  from Lockport will perform various indoor and outdoor clean-up projects at a local United Way office building and the YWCA, and 16 volunteers will finish dry wall and siding installation on a GM Foundation-funded Habitat for Humanity home in Buffalo, N.Y.
• Thirty volunteers from GM’s New York regional office will join the Central Park Conservancy in cleaning and painting park benches throughout Central Park.  
• On National Teddy Bear Day next Tuesday, volunteers from GM Asset Management will donate 49 teddy bears to young patients at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an affiliate hospital of the Sunrise Association.

Ohio

• Volunteers from GM’s Lordstown Plant will serve meals to the homeless at the Dorothy Day House in Youngstown.

Texas

• Volunteers from GM’s IT Innovation Center in Austin will make and serve lunch to the homeless at Caritas of Austin Soup Kitchen.

“This week truly underscores GM’s commitment to service, but it’s essentially a snapshot of the causes and projects our volunteers are involved with all year long,” said Sabin Blake, global marketing manager for Cadillac, and head of the teamGM Cares program. “We’ve witnessed firsthand how this program not only impacts our neighbors.” 

Throughout the year, thousands of teamGM Cares Volunteers participate in numerous projects and dedicate their time and resources to many organizations across the country. GM employees are active in mentoring youth, conducting food drives, revitalizing neighborhoods through clean-up efforts and home-building projects, assisting with disaster relief efforts, among other efforts.

Through the company’s “Dollars for Doers” program, the GM Foundation provides a $200 grant per year to eligible nonprofits each time an employee or employee team contributes 50 hours of service to the organization.

To learn more about the teamGM Cares Volunteers, visit www.teamgmcares.com. For more information on the charitable work of the GM Foundation, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.

About General Motors Co.
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

About the GM Foundation
Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, the Environment and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. Funding of the GM Foundation comes solely from GM. The last contribution to the GM Foundation was made in 2001. For more information, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.