Ford Employees Raised Record $1.26M for JDRF in 2019
In addition to auctioning and raffling off super-rare and highly collectible cars through Barrett-Jackson, Ford raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund every year via its Dearborn Building Challenge & SE Michigan Plant Challenge. With employees doing everything from baking to golfing to raise funds, the 2019 event administered by the Ford Global Action team pulled together a record $1.26 million.
The total comes in addition to the $1.1 million raised by the VIN 001 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500, which sold at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2019 to Barrett-Jackson CEO and co-founder Craig Jackson. Ford raised $700,000 more for JDRF last summer in a raffle for a one-of-one Mustang Shelby GT500 Venom, bringing the full-year total raised for JDRF past the $3 million mark for the 19th straight year.
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Edsel B. Ford II thanks employees
Through 2019, Ford has raised $67 million for JDRF, which works to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. This cause is near and dear to the heart of Edsel B. Ford II, Ford’s corporate chairman.
“It’s a passion in my life,” Ford told the participants in the 2019 Dearborn Building Challenge & SE Michigan Plant Challenge. “The reason I’m here today is because of my son, Albert, who’s turning 27, and at law school. He’s a Type 1 diabetic, and when I was talking to our youth ambassador earlier today, it just reminded me yet again how much I want to find a cure. So thank you, all of you, for all you do to help.”
When all was said and done, Ford’s Product Development Center was the winner of the Dearborn Building Challenge, achieving 422 percent of its goal by raising a total of $632,530. Dearborn Engine & Fuel Tank/Woodhaven Forge Plants won the SE Michigan Plant Challenge by raising $30,160.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.