Thursday, July 12, 2012

Charlotte Children’s Charity Winner in Toyota 100 Cars For Good


Toyota of Concord congratulates A Child’s Place of Charlotte, one of the latest winners announced in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good contest.

For the contest, Toyota accepts applications from thousands of nonprofits around the county, explaining who and how they help and why they are deserving of the prize. Organizations include those who improve society through animal welfare, health & safety, education, and services to children, adults, and people with disabilities. 100 Cars for Good applications are reviewed by an independent judging panel of experts in philanthropy and service to narrow the selections down to 500 organizations.

Final decisions are made by public vote, so finalists work hard to rally support and raise awareness about their organizations and how a new vehicle from 100 Cars for Good would help them serve their community. Each day for 100 days, five groups go up for vote, and one is announced as the winner of their choice of a new Toyota Highlander, Tundra, Camry Hybrid, Prius V or Sienna.

A Child’s Place (ACP) in Charlotte, NC is a group that works to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education. According to ACP, homeless children were once unable to attend public schools because they had no home address. Homeless children are sick four times as often as other children, are usually two to three grade levels behind other children, and experience behavioral and emotional problems three times more than their peers. The national graduation rate for homeless children is below 25%.

ACP works with the homeless population of Charlotte to minimize the immediate effects of homelessness on individuals while providing the stability and education needed to break the future cycle. These services are provided free to recipients, and are completely privately funded, with no federal, state or local tax dollars.

Just a few of the services provided to students include counseling sessions with students and teachers to evaluate progress, school supplies, backpacks, field trip funds, and clothing or uniforms to wear to school. They are also provided with daily or weekly snack packs so they have food outside of the breakfast and lunch each school provides. They also provide counseling services and community resources for food, housing and job training for parents.

It costs ACP $695 per year to serve a homeless child, while the same child would cost $62,000 to be in the juvenile justice system, or $39,000 to be incarcerated or provided with substance abuse treatment or government assistance as an adult. Toyota of Concord is proud to be involved with a company dedicated to giving back. We happily congratulate A Child’s Place on their well-deserved win in 100 Cars for Good, and encourage the community to support their efforts in any way you can.

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