Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers Give Much-Needed New Backpacks Filled with School Supplies to Students in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Pa, DEC. 19, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers have partnered with CBS EcoMedia Inc. through its innovative EducationAd advertising program to fund free backpacks filled with school supplies at Pittsburgh Allegheny Elementary.

EcoMedia’s national non-profit partner, Kids In Need Foundation, provided the school supplies for the school through its School Ready Supplies and Bulk Supplies Program. Kids in Need Foundation’s mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need.

Buick and GMC representatives participated in a special assembly at Pittsburgh Allegheny Elementary where the new backpacks were revealed and handed out to the students. Hosts of today’s event included Janet James, General Motors District Sales Manager; Gwen O’Neil, General Motors District Sales Manager; Molly O’Malley, Principal, Pittsburgh Allegheny Elementary; Chris Cotugno, CBS KDKA-TV; Chris Pike, CBS; Seth Zimmerman, Director, Sales & Business Development, CBS EcoMedia.

The funding for the supplies was a part of Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers’ EducationAd advertising on CBS, a program which enables advertisers to support community projects across the country, such as the backpacks filled with essential items -- including folders, notebooks, crayons, pens and pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, glue sticks, scissors, rulers and highlighters -- that the students were surprised with today. 

“Our Western Pennsylvania Buick and GMC dealers are excited about the opportunity to give back in an impactful way to our community, through the education of our kids,” said Doug Henderson, Buick and GMC Zone Manager of Pittsburgh. “They are our future.”

The donation by Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers will take the burden off families within the community who are unable to purchase school supplies and the teachers who, so often, purchase supplies out of their own pocket. This generous donation will impact a total of 520 students.

Children are able to fully participate in the educational experiences with which they are presented when they are given proper school supplies. Teachers and principals report improved concentration, participation, and behavior of students when they are properly equipped with supplies at school.

"We commend EcoMedia and Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers for understanding how important it is for students to have school supplies," said Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation. "Having the school supplies means these students will not have to worry about how they will fully participate in classroom activities or how they will get their homework done. To eliminate this barrier for the kids and alleviate the burden teachers often assume of providing supplies to students out of their own pockets are the reasons the Kids In Need Foundation exists. But we can't do it without the support of our partners."  

 “We’re thankful to Buick, GMC and their Local Dealers for funding backpacks and school supplies that will improve the quality of 525 students lives,” said Paul Polizzotto, Founder and President, CBS EcoMedia. “This donation doesn’t just affect the children, its lessens the burden on families and teachers, too. This project demonstrates the positive impact that can be made on communities when we all work together. Our public-private partnership business models exists to solve some of the most urgent social issues of our time. Equipping students with the tools they need to succeed is a paramount issue we address with our EducationAd program.”

About Buick
Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan, Buick Verano sedan and the all-new Encore crossover. Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com, on Twitter @buick, on Pinterest or at www.facebook.com/buick

About GMC
GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. The 2014 Sierra half-ton pickup boasts all-new powertrains and design, and the Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks ever built by GMC. Every retail GMC model, including Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs, is now available in Denali luxury trim. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.

The Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995. The Foundation’s mission is to prepare children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need. Its National Network of Resource Centers includes 32 facilities where teachers from low-income schools go to obtain free school supplies for their students. School supply giveaways in communities not served by Resource Centers are accommodated through the School Ready Supplies program, and students who have gone through natural disasters are helped to get back to their normal routines with new backpacks and supplies through the Second Responder program.  In addition, two Teacher Grant programs award preK-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning experiences for students. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed more than $500 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting more than 2.4 million students and 100,000 teachers annually, and has awarded $1.5 million in grants to teachers. Kids In Need has received Charity Navigator’s highest four-star rating for four years, indicating that it operates in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in America, and has earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating its commitment to transparency. For more information, visit www.kinf.org. Join Kids In Need Foundation on Twitter at twitter.com/kidsinneed and Facebook at facebook.com/kidsinneed.

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002.  In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media. 

Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide.  In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change.  Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS

By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities.  EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.