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Mazda Kicks Off 2016 Drive for Good Event

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Mazda Drive for Good logo

Mazda’s employees donate to and volunteer for charities all year long (just ask the Red Cross), but when the Holiday Season starts up, Mazda North American Operations kicks its normal efforts into high gear, using its partnership with NBCUniversal to run a contest for local charities in partnership with an annual event which just began—the 2016 Drive For Good.

The way it works is fairly simple. Starting today and running through January 3rd, Mazda customers and owners are encouraged to come in and buy or test drive a vehicle. For each test drive, Mazda pledges one volunteer hour of work to a worthy cause in the community, and when a new Mazda is bought or leased $150 is donated directly to the buyer’s choice of a list of national and local charities.

So, theoretically, if you were to go test drive a new Mazda, and then buy/lease it, you would be causing an hour of volunteer charity work and a good-sized donation, all in one go.

This is the fourth year of this program, and Mazda North American operations has this year teamed up nationally with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and the Mazda Foundation (USA). Dealership groups locally have the opportunity to partner with a local nonprofit to keep those donations and volunteer hours closer to home.

Since its beginning, the Drive for Good event has raised more than $13 million for charity ($5.3 million back in 2015), with more than 195,000 charitable volunteer hours pledged.