Toyota Presents More than $100,000 to Special Olympics World Games During Law Enforcement Torch Run® Final Leg Torch Ceremony
Celebration welcomes the Special Olympics Flame of Hope as it makes its journey throughout 127 cities in California before the Opening Ceremony of the World Games
VALENCIA, Calif., July 28, 2015 /3BL Media/ – The Los Angeles Region of Toyota Motor Sales presented a check for $110,200 to the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 (LA2015) during a Torch Ceremony celebration of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Final Leg for the World Games. To showcase Toyota’s support both locally and nationally, Valencia Mayor Marsha McLean joined Toyota Motor Sales Los Angeles Region General Manager Alec Hagey and LETR Final Leg Team Leader Chief Jeff Spaulding for the ceremony at Westfield Valencia Town Center.
“We are proud of our local dealers throughout Southern California for fully committing to support such a worthwhile cause,” said Alec Hagey, general manager of the Los Angeles Region of Toyota Motor Sales. “Special Olympics has such a positive impact on athletes and those who participate. The Toyota team is proud to play a supporting role in the World Games and for Special Olympics USA.”
The LETR Final Leg Team is in the process of visiting 127 cities, towns and communities, while traveling 4,648 miles. Law enforcement members, together with Special Olympics athletes, are running the Special Olympics Flame of Hope throughout California, spreading awareness for Special Olympics and creating excitement for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.
Today’s celebration and check presentation is part of an ongoing celebration with Toyota as the Official Automotive Sponsor of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, taking place in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2. With 6,500 athletes, 165 countries represented and 30,000 volunteers, the LA2015 World Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event this year.
“We’re thankful to Toyota for their support of Special Olympics and our athletes,” said Jenise Steverding, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships for Special Olympics World Games. “They’ve been a tremendous partner and we appreciate their leadership and commitment to helping develop our athletes and create communities of inclusion for all citizens.”
In addition to LETR Final Leg Torch Ceremony celebrations, Toyota dealers nationwide are supporting Special Olympics athletes and coaches in their journey to the Games through a fundraising effort. The automaker also supplied vehicles for the first-ever Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America, presented by Bank of America, which helped spread awareness about Special Olympics throughout the country from May 26-July 10.
Through its commitment to the communities its team members live and work in, Toyota continues to contribute to economic and social development throughout local communities across the nation. The Special Olympics World Games event complements Toyota’s local investment in employment, philanthropic efforts and environmental responsibility. To date, Toyota has donated more than $700 million to non-profits across the U.S.
About Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015
With 6,500 athletes and 2,000 coaches representing 165 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 fans, the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 (LA2015) will be the largest sports-and-humanitarian event in the world in 2015, and the biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games. For more information on the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.LA2015.org and on social with #ReachUpLA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR) for Special Olympics
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is Special Olympics’ largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle in the world raising over US $500 million for Special Olympics since its inception in 1981. More than 100,000 law enforcement members in all 50 U.S. States, 12 Canadian provinces/territories, and 46 other countries contribute to LETR efforts annually as Guardians of the Flame®, ensuring the delivery of the Special Olympics Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremonies of local Special Olympics competitions, state/provincial Games, and national/regional Games. Visit www.LETR.org for more information.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than 2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Diversity and inclusion are long standing priorities for Toyota, grounded in our core values of respect and continuous improvement for people. Diversity and inclusion are central to all aspects of Toyota - our customers, employees, dealers, suppliers and the local communities where we operate. For more information on Toyota's commitment to diversity and inclusion, visit www.toyota.com/usa/diversity. For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.
About Special Olympics USA
Special Olympics USA will send a 482 member delegation of athletes, coaches and official delegates to represent the United States at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, being held July 25-August 2, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. The “home team” will include 344 athletes and Unified Partners, representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Athletes will compete in 17 sports, including aquatics, athletics (track & field), basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), kayaking, powerlifting, sailing, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The team includes several Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams, where people with and without intellectual disability compete together, as teammates. Special Olympics USA is supported by 96 volunteer coaches and 42 volunteer sports and management team members. Official sponsors for Special Olympics USA include Finish Line, Toyota, Champion, The Coca-Cola Company, American Federation of Teachers, Tommie Copper, Midwest Trophy Manufacturing, KPMG – Golf team sponsor, Mattel – Cycling team sponsor, and Speedo USA – Swimming team official supplier. To learn more and to follow the team, visit www.specialolympicsusa.org, Facebook - www.facebook.com/specialolympicsusa, Twitter - @specialolyUSA, Instagram - specialolympicsusa.
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