Ford Fund Pledges $200K to Keep Students Learning During Pandemic
Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company Chief Customer Experience Officer Elena Ford and Ford Fund made a $200,000 investment in October to support education services for students affected by the pandemic. The funds help students in the Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix areas by covering 30,000 books and putting must-have supplies in the hands of 1,500 educators.
The Latest from Ford: The Ford Bronco is back with a vengeance
This investment is the latest step in a partnership between Ford Fund and First Book. Since 2015, the partnership has provided 130,000 books to students across the United States. Ford Fund’s contributions over the life of the initiative total $600,000.
Elena Ford reads to 10,000 students
Photo: Ford
Elena Ford kicked off this latest round of contributions with a virtual reading for 10,000 students. She and author Andrea Beaty read the latter’s Rosie Revere, Engineer, which lines up with Ford’s push to encourage girls to get involved in the STEAM fields. After the reading, educators received gift cards to cover books, classroom supplies, and cleaning goods like sanitizer.
The $200,000 donation helps students from underserved communities hit hardest by COVID-19.
“We’re showing the kids that no matter where you learn — school or home — books can inspire dreams and spark interest in subjects that could be the beginning of an exciting career,” said Elena Ford. “We want kids to understand that reading is fun and rewarding and will allow them to take advantage of educational opportunities that can help them achieve personal success.”
Ford Fund invests over $13 million each year in education programs and initiatives. In 2020, Ford Fund has committed almost $3 million to help communities deal with the ongoing pandemic.
Eye on the Future: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E makes zero compromises in delivering zero emissions
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.