At the Chicago Auto Show today, Toyota announced the return of its 100 Cars for Good program.
For the second year in a row, Toyota will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 US nonprofits, with winners selected through public voting on the Toyota Facebook page.
The announcement was made by Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy and community affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, who was accompanied by some of the nonprofits that received vehicles in last year's 100 Cars for Good program.
"At Toyota, we appreciate what a big difference a new car can make for organizations working to improve lives and strengthen communities across the country, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to lend a hand," said Rouse.
"Over the last 20 years, Toyota has contributed more than half a billion dollars to nonprofits throughout the US. 100 Cars for Good allows us to build on that commitment in important, new ways by making the public an integral part of these efforts and harnessing the power of social media to expand awareness and galvanize support for organizations that are having such a tremendous impact in neighborhoods nationwide."
Toyota is inviting applications online from 12 March 2012. The 100 Cars for Good application process will last for two weeks, or until 5,000 applications are received. From these, 500 finalists will be selected and then certified by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the fields of philanthropy and social responsibility.
Each finalist can then submit a video that will be featured on the Toyota 100 Cars site explaining how a new vehicle would help support its work. In addition, Toyota will be providing each of the finalists with communications and social media tools and training to assist their efforts to raise awareness for their organization.
Public voting will begin in May, with the exact date to be announced later, and will continue for 100 consecutive days. Each day, five organizations will be profiled at http://www.facebook.com/toyota and participants may vote for the charity they feel is most deserving of a vehicle. The four runners up every day will each be awarded a $1,000 grant from Toyota.
