Ford has announced a new COVID-19 donation match program while also launching a “Read and Record” virtual volunteering project.
J.C. Lewis Serves joins their national effort to impact literacy and promote a love of reading. Submit your favorite children’s book title for J.C. Lewis Serves volunteers to join Ford’s Read and Record.
During trying times, Ford employees are used to being the boots on the ground – getting out, signing up and pitching in to help make a difference,” said Mary Culler, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Even now, while many are sheltering in place at home, our employees are looking for ways to help. These two new programs offer meaningful ways for employees to give back and join in the fight against COVID-19.
Virtual volunteering and online resources
The Ford Fund COVID-19 Donation Match program is a combined effort between Ford Fund and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford that will match $500,000 in donations to designated community organizations in the fight against COVID-19, raising a potential $1 million for groups battling the pandemic across the globe.
Ford Fund’s new “Read and Record” virtual volunteering project invites Ford employees from around the world to record and submit videos reading a children’s book in their own language. The effort is designed to provide Ford employees a way to give back from the safety and comfort of their own homes, and builds on Ford Fund’s ongoing efforts to increase literacy and promote a love of reading.
The online library will be catalogued by language, and multilingual employees are encouraged to read in languages other than English. Ford Fund plans to share the library with philanthropic groups that serve children and families.
To further assist employees, their families or anyone looking for things to do at home during the pandemic, Ford Fund is compiling COVID-19 related volunteer opportunities and providing a library of free online resources offered by many of its community partners. Available at www.fordfund.org/covid19, activities include virtual tours, downloadable worksheets, online tutorials, videos and more – all designed to help entertain, educate or inspire people of all ages.
As Ford Fund concentrates on taking immediate action at the local level, Ford engineers, researchers and suppliers are designing and manufacturing masks, respirators, ventilators and other critical medical equipment and supplies for healthcare workers, first responders and patients fighting COVID-19. To learn more about the company’s recent news and efforts related to COVID-19, click here.