MANILA, Philippines - Imagine the impact of having an army of 13,000 Ford employees, retirees and dealers go out to work on 310 community projects in 26 countries all over the world.
This, in a nutshell, is what Ford Motor Company achieved with its Ford Global Week of Caring, the highlight of a year- round effort to flex the volunteer muscle of employees and dealers to make a positive difference in the communities where the company does business, including the Philippines.
“Ford’s legacy of caring is very much alive through our employees who embrace the commitment to create a better world. We are One Ford in any language, and proud of our contributions in making a world of difference – from building vehicles that meet the needs of our customers to working with communities to help improve the quality of life,” said Kay Hart, managing director of Ford Philippines.
In the Philippines, over 100 employees of Ford Philippines and volunteers from various Ford dealerships banded together to undertake a series of com- munity service projects.
Last September 9, management representatives from Ford Philippines and Ford Tacloban were in Ormoc, Leyte to officially turn over communal clean water supply facilities Kalinga villages, namely the Goodland GK Village in Barangay Quezon, Ormoc City; GK Village in Poblacion, Al- buera; and the GK Village in Merida, Leyte.
Made possible by a P440,000 grant from the Ford Fund, the water facilities will provide clean drinking and tap water to 230 families in the three GK villages.
Volunteers from the Ford Tacloban dealership, civil engineering students from the Eastern Visayas State University College, and GK residents devoted a total of 1,500 hours to finish building the water facilities.
“This project is meaningful for us as it puts special emphasis on Ford’s efforts to support and protect water resources,” said Josephine Gonzalez, assistant vice president for government and corporate affairs.
Ford Philippines also went to San Pedro, Laguna last September 18 to spend a day with residents of the GK Alaska Village.
Together with volunteers from various Ford dealerships in Metro Manila, employees of Ford Philippines organized free medical consultations and dental services for 250 patients. Ford volunteers also repainted 113 houses in the village and held games and other activities for the children.
“I’m proud of the hard work our Ford volunteer teams are doing. From the painting of houses, to attending to the sick, to going the extra mile to make children happy, employees and dealers are coming together with the same goal and same purpose – to make a world of difference for our fellowmen,” said Gonzalez.