Photo Album: Ford Global Caring Month 209

Essential Services
Volunteers
15 October 2019

Photo Album: Ford Global Caring Month 209

Nearly 6,000 Ford employees in 35 countries around the world participated in Ford Global Caring Month, the signature annual event of the Ford Volunteer Corps. Ford employees helped make people’s lives better by renovating, building and mentoring at care centers, schools and shelters. They helped build stronger communities through clean water projects, hunger relief efforts and educational activities. Ford Fund also contributed $675,000 to buy tools and materials for many of the projects, freeing up valuable nonprofit resources to help more people. This photo gallery is a brief look at some of the work undertaken by Ford volunteers on six continents during September.

Romania – Asociatia Pentru Educatie SV Oltenia (EDUCOL) Association for Education

Craiova, Romania – Ford volunteers tackled a two-prong effort at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center. They redesigned the green area and playground, and paved the secondary access alleyway at the rear of the building to make it more accessible and safe. Ford volunteers also ordered much needed school supplies for the poorest schools and then sorted and packaged the items for delivery.

Australia – Costa House Retirement Village

Lara, Australia – Ford Australia graduates stepped into community service by volunteering at Costa House Retirement Village during Ford Global Caring Month. The grads planted trees, made garden beds and built a fence.

Mexico – Manos a la Tierra

Mexico City, Mexico – One of 17 Ford Volunteer Corps projects in Mexico included helping prepare for reforestation at Tarango Ecological Park. Ford volunteers worked the grounds at the first sustainable park that will have solar panels for night lighting and rainwater recovery for irrigation.

California – Save the Bay

Palo Alto, Calif. – Invigorating is one word being used to describe a day of pulling out invasive plants, scrubbing pots, and planting native plants into pots in the greenhouse using chop sticks. That’s how volunteers from Ford’s Greenfield Labs pitched in to help during the annual Save the Bay event. The project is also being called educational and rewarding. Ford volunteers heard about the past and helped provide a brighter future for San Francisco Bay.

India – Roundtable India

Chennai, India – Some 500 Ford volunteers tackled a wide variety of projects during Ford Global Caring Month, from assisting at a health camp to mentoring at a school, painting, and planting more than 2,000 trees.

United Arab Emirates – Companies for Good

Dubai, UAE – Ford volunteers in the United Arab Emirates received basic sewing lessons and then made dolls that will be distributed to refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan. Most of the kids and their families are refugees from Syria.

New Zealand – Bailey Road School

Auckland, New Zealand – A team of Ford volunteers from East Tamaki went to Bailey Road School for an active day of painting, tidying up the gardens and playground, and building an outdoor mud kitchen for the kids. Yummy!

Spain – Albufera Natural Park

Valencia, Spain – One of Valencia’s favorite tourist spots - the beach at Albufera Natural Park – is looking better these days following cleanup by Ford volunteers from the MP&L & PVT teams. In addition to the beauty and romanticism of the park, it is also home to endangered species.

Minnesota – Lyndale Park Rose Garden

Minneapolis – The Lyndale Park Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in the United States, and a team of Ford volunteers did some late summer weeding, pruning and clean up to the beautiful grounds.

Brazil – Comunidade de Amparo Social Asilar (Community of Amparo Social Harbor)

São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil – After heavy rains caused a wall to collapse at a senior citizens center, 40 Ford volunteers pitched in to rebuild and paint the wall. Ford employees also helped fix up the laundry and pool area, and spent some time reading and playing games with the residents.

Michigan – The Nature Conservancy

Tecumseh, Mich. – Ford employees paid a visit to Mother Nature at the Ives Road Fen. The Ford volunteers helped remove invasive species and make room for native flowers and butterflies. Fens are important wetlands that rely on a significant amount of water and nutrients from underground alkaline springs rather than from precipitation. Ives Road Fen is home to many rare plants, along with birds, frogs and other animals.

Sri Lanka – World Vision Lanka

Puttalan, Sri Lanka – Ford volunteers in Sri Lanka painted and refurbished a school, while also preparing and serving meals for the underprivileged children. They provided some fun activities for the kids, who put on a performance for the volunteers to show their appreciation.

Michigan – Alternatives for Girls

Dearborn Heights, Mich. – Ford’s Legal Alliance for Women spearheaded another Global Day of Service to assist nonprofit organizations worldwide in supporting the empowerment of women and girls. Employees from more than 70 law firms joined Ford volunteers working at homeless shelters and food banks, and performing pro bono legal work to help make people’s lives better. These Ford volunteers assisted Alternatives for Girls, a shelter for homeless girls and young women. The effort brought together volunteers from 30 states in the U.S. and eight additional countries – including Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.

South Africa – The Winnie Mabaso Foundation

Pretoria, South Africa – Ford Volunteers assisted in the Early Childhood Development Center, worked in the organic garden and helped out in the sewing school for unemployed women.

Brazil – Aldeias Infantis

Camaçari, Brazil – Ford volunteers put in a two-pronged effort at Aldeias Infantis a care center and shelter for children and families. More than eighty Ford employees assembled and installed equipment in the “mother’s workshop” where women can participate in sewing activities to generate income. Ford volunteers also built and painted furniture, and hung wallpaper in a room designated for mental health care. In all more than 300 Ford volunteers in Brazil took part in Ford Global Caring Month projects.

South Africa – Move for Transformation Ministry

Pretoria, South Africa – Ford volunteers distributed food, school uniforms and shoes to disadvantaged families. Health and wellness for children and families is the focus with a goal of self-reliance for the people and a stronger community overall.

Guam – Micronesian Conservation Coalition

Agat, Guam – Ford volunteers in Guam took part in bus stop clean-ups and marine themed drawings on key stops in the village of Agat. The project was part of a campaign to protect the earth and ocean in the coastal area, which has a diverse and at-risk population. The overall goal is to reduce the amount of trash and litter in the village.

Vanuatu – ACTIV Assocition Vanuatu

Port Vila, Vanuatu – Ford volunteers handed over a new water tank to Rongdale School in Vanuatu. Ford employees donated the tank, transported it to the school, built the platform and installed it. The tank will help ease the water shortage during the dry season.

Arizona – A New Leaf

Mesa, Ariz. – Ford Credit employees assembled back to school supplies, snack food bags and science kits for children at A New Leaf, a nonprofit that serves homeless families. In addition to Ford volunteers, the Operation Better World Phoenix Committee pitched in $10,000 to support after-school education programs at A New Leaf.

Ohio – United Way Day of Caring

Lima, Ohio – Ford volunteers from the Lima Engine Plant pitched in during United Way’s Day of Caring event. Ford employees helped paint, landscape and clean the local Boy Scout facilities.

Philippines – Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation

Taysan, Philippines – Kitchen Caring was the name of a project in the Philippines, where 40 Ford and dealership employees teamed up to prepare, cook and deliver meals to local schools. Some 800 meals were prepared for kids at four area schools, to help ensure they are focused on their lessons and activities and not hungry tummies.

Florida – Feeding Tampa Bay

Tampa, Fla. – Ford volunteers inspected and sorted bulk produce and non-perishables at Feeding Tampa Bay. The items were then distributed to people in need throughout the community.

Germany – Community Foundation Cologne

Cologne, Germany – Five hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci’s death, students at a school in Germany named in his honor learned the importance of innovative thinking and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). Ford volunteers assisted in a broad array of STEAM workshops with the middle and high school students. The workshops were geared to gain deeper insights into the legendary genius and his relevance in the world today. The project also included an experiment in landscape art. Ford volunteers, seen here, helped carve the work into a grassy area signifying the connection between science and social aspects of life.

New York – God’s Love We Deliver

New York – Ford volunteers helped prepare meals at God’s Love We Deliver. The food will be delivered to people in the community who are unable to cook for themselves because of illness.

China – Nonprofit Incubator

Beijing, China – More than 400 Ford volunteers in China rolled up their sleeves for 47 community service projects during Ford Global Month of Caring, including tutoring students on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) subjects.

China – Nonprofit Incubator

Shanghai, China – About 60 Ford volunteers also helped clean up trash along the shoreline in Shanghai.

Germany – German Red Cross

Cologne, Germany – In another of the nearly two dozen projects in Germany, Ford volunteers painted three rooms in the school/kindergarten at a refugee home. They were helping to create a library and educational space for the children. Up to 500 people are living in this particular refugee home and more than half are kids. Over the past few years Ford employees have also helped renovate the outside areas of the home.

Kentucky – Dare To Care Hunger Walk

Louisville, Ky. – Sunny skies and 90 degree temperatures greeted Ford volunteers helping out at the 41st annual Dare to Care Hunger Walk. Ford employees set up water stops to keep walkers hydrated along the route.

South Africa – Luvuyo Orphanage Home

Pretoria, South Africa – Nearly 800 Ford volunteers participated in 30 Ford Global Caring Month projects in South Africa and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this project, Ford employees painted the play area, cleaned inside and out, and set up a nursery for babies at the orphanage, which cares for abused and neglected, and some who are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Colombia – Banco de Alimentos de Bogotá (Food Bank of Bogotá)

Bogotá, Colombia – Ford Volunteers helped prepare meals and distribute groceries to 36 Venezuelan families, who find themselves in vulnerable situations and in need of food because of forced displacement. The food packages provided will help these families for up to 10 months.

United Kingdom – Danbury Pre-School

Danbury, England – Ford volunteers from the Dunton Engineering Center stained and resealed the outside walls of the main wooden building at the Danbury Pre-School. Ford employees also built a shed for the woodworking workshop. The pre-school offers care and education to children ages 2 to 5 years.

Pennsylvania – Fresh Harvest Group

Wilkinsburg, Pa. – Ford volunteers from the Pittsburgh Regional Office and Ford Credit participated in a community fresh produce distribution event. Ford employees helped set up the tables and tents, bagged produce, distributed the food to residents and then stayed for cleanup duty.

United Arab Emirates – Senses

Dubai, UAE – The Senses center supports children with special needs and Ford employees were there to provide a helping hand. Over fifty Ford volunteers taught the young people math, art, life skills and even had some lessons for them in the gym.

Malaysia – Sincere Care Home

Kajang, Malaysia – More than 30 Ford and dealership volunteers visited Sincere Care Home to provide a helping hand with painting, cooking meals and general upkeep around the nursing home. The Ford volunteers also enjoyed taking part in various activities with the residents, creating some happy memories for the seniors, while improving living conditions.

Argentina – Movimiento Agua y Juventud (Water and Youth Movement)

Santiago del Estero, Argentina – Safe drinking water was the goal as Ford volunteers traveled to a school in the province of Santiago del Estero to install a clean water system.

Spain – Fundación Iniciativa Solidaría Ángel Tomas (Angel Tomas Solidarity Initiative Foundation)

Valencia, Spain – Another team of Ford volunteers in Spain went to work painting, cleaning and assembling furniture at a center for at-risk children. Ford employees even participated at a workshop focused on some of the education and social development programs at the center.

Germany – Innatura

Cologne, Germany – Ford volunteers tackled the donation section of Innatura’s warehouse of new consumer products. Fifteen Ford employees sorted, counted and bundled the goods, which are mostly toiletry items and diapers that will later be distributed to local charitable organizations. Innatura’s nonprofit-to-nonprofit platform offers companies a useful way to dispose of excess and unneeded goods, rather than throwing them out.

Argentina – Fundación San Genaro (San Genaro Foundation)

Buenos Aires, Argentina – Ford employees in Argentina participated in 15 Ford Volunteer Corps projects during Ford Global Caring Month, including this toy workshop where Ford volunteers made toys for distribution to area school children.

New Caledonia – Caledoclean

Nouméa, New Caledonia – The environment was the focus as some 30 Ford volunteers planted 500 trees on the west coast of New Caledonia. The project was part of an effort to help prevent deforestation.

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