People who really love their cars - people like Skokie Dodge drivers, for example - may be heard to refer to their cars as "lifesavers" or may even say they don't know what they'd do without their cars. None of this is literal, of course. Until, that is, it is.
Early last month, Bloomsburg, Penn., residents suffered a great loss after a relentless flood ravaged the area. Now, Chrysler is truly making efforts to come to the rescue.
In response to the flooding, the Chrysler Foundation announced on Oct. 11 that it has donated $25,000 to AGAPE Love from Above to Our Community, a Bloomsburg volunteer organization. The money will be used for disaster relief and recovery and will assist AGAPE as it continues to aid residents of the area who experienced flooding and property loss due to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee this September.
Chrysler's reach goes far beyond Northfield cars, Town & Country drivers and nationwide dealerships. With this donation, Chrysler is demonstrating not only its concern for clients and non-clients in all parts of the country - it is also showing how a large company can still devote itself to small-town problems and solutions.
Established as the philanthropic division of Chrysler Group LLC, the nonprofit Chrysler Foundation was established in 1953 to meet and support the cultural, educational and physical needs of its communities. Skokie Dodge dealerships are proud of the Foundation's attention to the matters that it set out to address with this $25,000 donation. The donation maintains the Foundation's focus on diversity, youth development, arts and culture, education and disaster relief for communities in need.
In fact, the donation represents a continuation of earlier disaster relief efforts by the Foundation in heavily affected areas of the United States and beyond. This year alone, the Foundation has provided support for earthquake relief in Haiti; tornado relief in Dundee, Mich., and Perrysburg, Ohio; and tsunami relief in Japan. In recent years, the Chrysler Foundation was also active in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina in 2005; San Diego wildfire aftermath in 2007; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, flood victims in 2008.
But Chrysler Group associates are eager to show that they, too, understand Chrysler's responsibility beyond showing impressive Northfield cars. Town & Country dealers, employees and retirees have been active in volunteer and in-kind support during all of the Foundation's initiatives.
Maybe Chrysler isn't saving lives, but it's certainly protecting and preserving them.