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Support will advance the Foundation’s charitable efforts and enhance the AARP Driver Safety Program
LOS ANGELES, September 22, 2011 – Today at AARP’s Life@50+ National Event & Expo, the AARP Foundation announced a three-year, $12.6 million grant from Toyota to support the Foundation’s initiatives to reduce isolation and promote driver safety among older Americans.
This grant will help further the AARP Foundation’s mission to create solutions to help vulnerable, low-income older people secure their everyday essentials – food, housing, income and personal connection. The lack of safe and adequate transportation is a chief contributor to the increase in isolation among low-income, older Americans.
“Far too often half the people who don’t drive or no longer drive are stuck at home,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, president of the AARP Foundation. “This grant from Toyota will help us keep the boomer generation that grew up in carpools alert to the challenges of driving safely in an era of high-tech cars and crowded roads.”
The AARP Foundation will contract with the AARP Driver Safety Program to:
- Collaborate with the nation’s experts to develop a new driver safety course curriculum that incorporates the most innovative approaches and advancements in driver education;
- Build awareness among older drivers and younger caregivers on the importance of keeping one’s driving skills sharp and up-to-date; and
- Broaden awareness of the program in multicultural communities and recruit new volunteers.
“Safety for drivers, passengers and pedestrians is a top priority for Toyota,” said Pat Pineda, group vice president of philanthropy for Toyota. “With this grant to the AARP Foundation we are enhancing our commitment to supporting initiatives that educate people about how to maintain safe driving habits at every stage of life.”
The AARP Driver Safety Program first launched in 1979. Today, it is the nation’s largest classroom/online driver safety course designed especially for drivers age 50 and older. Since the program’s inception, over 13 million participants have completed the course. The course covers the normal changes in vision, hearing and reaction time associated with aging and provides practical techniques on how to adjust to these changes. Participants also learn how to operate their vehicles more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment.
Toyota’s grant to the AARP Foundation is a significant investment in improving safety among older drivers and expands Toyota’s strong dedication to safety, which includes Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world’s largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP’s millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP Foundation
AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. The Foundation is dedicated to serving vulnerable people 50+ by creating solutions that help them secure the essentials and achieve their best life. AARP Foundation focuses on: hunger, housing, income and isolation as our key mission areas. The Foundation envisions: ‘a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable.’ Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP. For more information about AARP Foundation, please log on to www.aarp.org/foundation.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. Toyota directly employs nearly
30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. To date, Toyota has contributed over half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota’s commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.
Media Contacts
Nancy Thompson, AARP
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