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.
