The General Motors Foundation announced Wednesday grants totaling $75,000 to support programs at 12 area non-profits, the fourth consecutive year the Foundation’s Plant City Grants are being awarded in the home of GM’s Spring Hill Manufacturing facility.
“Giving back to the community that has supported General Motors in Spring Hill for nearly 30 years is an important part of what we do each day,” said Ken Knight, complex manager, GM Spring Hill Manufacturing. “Through the GM Foundation’s grant funding, $300,000 has been donated since 2010 to support the work of local non-profits who tirelessly pave the way for a better tomorrow.”
The GM Foundation’s grants will support the following organizations and community programs:
- 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee – The grant will be used to reinforce programs that provide academic and social skills development for Nashville’s inner city youth.
- American Red Cross – The grant funded an additional emergency services vehicle for Maury County.
- Boys & Girls Club of Maury County – Funding will support much-needed renovations to the club’s 8th Street Teen Center, which offers educationally-driven life skills programs for nearly 150 6ththrough 12th grade Maury County youth.
- Columbia Children’s Museum – Funds will be applied to a new Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) program available to children who visit the unique museum.
- Family Center – Funds will support the general operation, which provides immediate hands-on assistance to Maury County residents dealing the effects of poverty.
- Imagination Library (South Central Tennessee Workforce Alliance) – The grant fully funded one month’s worth of free books mailed to Maury County children through the Governor’s Imagination Library program.
- Harvest Share Food Pantry – Funds will be used to stock the food pantry, which serves hungry men, women and children who reside in Maury County, Tenn.
- Southern Automotive Women’s Forum – Funds will be used to promote educational opportunities that reinforce the personal and professional development of women in the automotive industry.
- Tennessee Court Appointed Special Advocates– The grant will be used to support programs that train court-appointed volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected Tennessee children.
- Tennessee Environmental Council – Funds support programs which educate and advocate for the conservation and improvement of Tennessee’s environment, communities and public health.
- United Way of Maury and Williamson Counties– Funding will be used to back programs that address critical issues in the areas of poverty, literacy, personal abuse, substance abuse, youth development, senior services, and physical and developmental disabilities.
In 2014, the GM Foundation will provide a total of $1.7 million in funding to 209 organizations in 45 plant cities where GM employees live and work. The grants are given to a variety of organizations that provide much-needed services, improve education, and influence the quality of life within their respective communities.
“We are committed to supporting the communities that our employees and their families call home,” said GM Foundation Vice President Lori Wingerter. “These grants will benefit education programs, art and cultural organizations, and other important programs that enrich the community.”
