Sent: Mon 3/19/2007 6:21 PM
To: All North American Employees
Subject: Recognition of Ford Community Service
As we take the painful but necessary steps to move our company forward, it is more important than ever that we stay true to the principles of our past. Among the most essential of these principles is our concern for the world around us.
Ford Motor Company recently became the first recipient of the National Governors Association Public-Private Partnership Award for our support of education and development of the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) program. We were nominated by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who commended us for aggressively cultivating 21st century job skills in Michigan and across the nation. This award is a reflection of our collective efforts and a roadmap for our future.
The difficult challenges we face today make the business case for community service stronger than ever. To stand out from the competition in a crowded market, we want to be known as a company that cares and makes a difference in the world. This will help us strengthen our corporate brand, attract customers and investors, and promote teamwork. As we restructure and transform our business, our commitment to corporate citizenship will not waiver.
In recent months, we announced Jim Vella as the new president of Ford’s philanthropic organization, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. In his new role, Jim will lead Ford Motor Company Fund and Ford Volunteer Corps as these organizations continue the company's legacy of philanthropy and volunteerism. Consistent with Ford’s plan to reduce costs and bring the company back to profitability, Ford Motor Company Fund’s grants and sponsorships also have been impacted. While the distribution amount has changed, our commitment to play an active role in the community and work with our partners remains unchanged.
Ford Motor Company Fund will continue to make education its top priority by expanding existing programs, such as Ford PAS and the Henry Ford Academy. These important initiatives forge critical links between what students learn in school and what they need to be successful in college and in the workforce. We also will continue our commitment to safety through our Driving Skills for Life national Web-based educational program. Above all, we will continue to champion volunteerism through the Ford Volunteer Corps.
In the first full year of operation after I created it in 2005, more than 100,000 employees and 100,000 retirees participated in Ford Volunteer Corps projects around the world. We will soon launch the next level of this initiative, Model Teams made up of salaried employees, union members and retirees who will build communities where they live and work. Anyone who has volunteered knows how personally rewarding it is, and I would encourage you to join a Model Team when the program begins.
All of us at Ford should consider corporate responsibility a key part of who we are as a business. Our legacy of caring must continue so that we can remain a company that makes a difference in people’s lives – one that inspires its employees, delights its customers, rewards its shareholders and makes the world a better place.
Thank you for your dedication, goodwill and individual efforts to improve our communities.
Bill Ford
1 comment:
Congratulations to Bill Ford and Company for cultivating the community within the community. More companies should take a cue and take similar steps in their community.
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