Sunday, December 4, 2011

Car Safety and Education ... Thank you!

I felt safe in my 2002 Ford Explorer (loved her).

My Ford Experience

In 2002, when we were expecting our son, my husband and I agreed that I needed a vehicle that was safe to drive through snow and ice. Three years had passed since I'd experienced my first New England snow storm. I'd moved from Southern California and knew nothing of salt melting ice on the roads, that snowplows tore mailboxes from their posts, or how people managed to get-to-and-from work in extreme weather conditions. Heck, I was used to the Santa Ana winds, rain, flooding, mud-slides, fires, earthquakes, the Night Stalker, even ... but snow and ice? Nuh-uh. I remember on the news, watching drivers abandon their vehicles on the highway and thinking to myself, "There's-no-freaking way-I'll-survive."

Well, I did. I adapted to my new environment, fell in love with the seasons, but, still, never felt safe driving in the wintertime. This is the reason my husband and I visited our neighborhood Ford dealership. I was seven months pregnant and wanted something super-safe: an Explorer. The next best-thing for me on the safety-scale, at the time, would've been a Suburban with bullet-proof windows. I kid you not. I've calmed down a little, since. ... really.

Why a Ford? My parents and husband had driven Fords. When I was a kid, my parents purchased a previously-owned pea-green 1976 Mustang that they later handed down to my middle sister (who soon drove it into a tree, she was okay). Years later, my mom bought a Focus that she handed down to my sister (same one, both are doing fine : ). Then there were the four company cars my husband drove, over the years, since we were married, all Fords.

Source: www.oldcarbrochures.com

My Ford loved flooded and snowy conditions. | Mi mama cleans-off her Ford Focus. : )

So imagine my surprise when I learned that had it not been for Ford Latino's generosity, I might not have been able to attend last month's #Latism11 conference, in Chicago. Had I known this when I first met Fernando and Jesus from Ford Latino, I would've given them each a huge hug and said, "Gracias, por todo."

In hindsight, gentlemen, thank you for not only for making it feasible for me to attend #Latism11, but for your commitment to Latinos and education, something I learned about doing my own little investigation.

Commitment to Latinos and Education

For example, did you know that in the first nine months of 2011, Ford Motor donated more than $1.8 million to schools through their Drive One 4 UR School Program? Or that they're the first car company to partner with General Mills' Box Tops for Education Program to help raise funds for schools?



I'm beyond proud to have been sponsored by a company that has shown their commitment, not only to safety, but to education and to helping Latinos youths through programs such as Ford Driving Dreams Through Education, their partnership with the Hispanic College Fund that assists Latino college graduates transition to from school to careers, and the new Ford Capital Grant Program that awards $400,000 in grant money to programs in "education, automative safety, community needs and the arts."


FORD Driving Dreams Program

FORD Partners with Hispanic College Fund

¿Qué mas puedo decir? Truth is that had it not been for programs such as these, I might have not been able to fund my college education.

Ford and Ford Latino, gracias and keep up the awesome work.

To learn more about Ford in English, or to check out the new Escape (one of my hub's next company car choices :), click here, or if you speak Spanish/Spanglish, please show your support and "like" the Ford en Español FB page.

Besos y abrazos for the rear-sensors!

10 comments:

  1. I just learned of the Drive One 4 UR School campaign a couple of weeks ago when the district where I work had a test drive day at the local Ford dealership. I didn't know that they did so much for education. I am glad to hear it, glad that you got to attend #Latism11, and glad that Ford has kept you safe during winter driving!

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  2. Jen, I never knew about any of these initiatives. This is the kind of information consumers need to hear. Definitely makes me think twice about where to spend my money when I hear about companies giving back to their communities. BTW -- I knew little about Iowa winters before writing this post. My son and I ended up on Youtube looking for footage from my first winter (nada!) and found lots of pieces on Iowa! Crazy.

    Thank you for your kind words, Amiga. <3

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  3. That's awesome Ezzy Thanks for bringing up a company that works for us Latinos.
    I need help finding a sponsor for Hispanize . =) Any tips?

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  4. Adriana, I DM'd you my email address through Twitter last night. Email me, Amiga. This opportunity kind of fell in my lap. Literally! : )

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  5. I am glad I got to see you again!! Thanks Ford:)

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  6. Now I'm really proud I drive a Ford!!!!!! =) Great info here amiga!

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  7. This is really interesting to know, Ezzy. I love it when big corporations make an effort to channel at least some of their massive profits to worthwhile causes, and this sounds like a great cause. Our family members are mostly Dodge truck fans, although we've had several Toyotas through the years, too. (It's funny how you become devoted to a particular brand because of past experiences; ie., we had a major problem with a GMC truck -- it caught fire -- and now you couldn't pay me to own one, but I know other people who love theirs._

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  8. Great to see you, too, Jenda. I'm still planning for the Cherry Blossom Festival! : )

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  9. Carol, that's awful about your truck! Yikes. Can't say that I blame you. Miss my truck ... especially her V-8. I owned the road with that baby! : ) I'm with you on corporate giving ... WE NEED TO SEE MORE OF IT.

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