Mazda and NBCUniversal Announce Winner of 2016 Mazda Drive for Good Nonprofit Contest

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December 1, 2016

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IRVINE, California, Nov. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), through the Mazda Drive for Good® charity program and its annual partnership with NBCUniversal, has selected My Block, My Hood, My City as the recipient of $30,000 in goods and services as part of its Mazda Drive for Good contest.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161130/444537

After reading through all of the submissions for this year’s contest, Mazda chose to separately select four additional nonprofits to receive $10,000 in goods and services. The winners of the $10,000 prize include Elevating Connections, Erin’s Hope for Friends, Move for Hunger and Warm Winters.

“In the third year of the contest, we received so many great submissions. Jahmal and his team at My Block, My Hood, My City stood out because of their dedication to helping youth experience and explore new adventures in their city,” said Masahiro Moro, president and CEO of MNAO. “We felt My Block, My Hood, My City, as well as the other wonderful organizations, established a clear goal for how their organization would continue to improve the lives of others—something important to continuing their support of their local community, and something that closely identifies with the mission of the Mazda Drive for Good program.”

From October 10 to October 24, 2016, viewers were invited to nominate themselves, or others involved in nonprofits, for the 2016 Mazda Drive for Good community charity contest. At the conclusion of the contest, a panel of judges reviewed the submissions and chose one winner to receive a $30,000 donation—money raised as part of the 2016 Mazda Drive for Good program. Jahmal Cole, the founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, was notified of the award through a surprise in-person appearance by actress Jill Flint.

The partnership between MNAO and NBCUniversal spans across NBCUniversal’s broadcast, cable and digital networks with the most recent TV spots highlighting My Block, My Hood, My City’s unique support of youth in Chicago. Creative content for the partnership was created in collaboration by MNAO, Mazda’s creative partner WPP’s Garage Team Mazda and NBCUniversal’s Content Innovation Agency.

The Mazda Drive for Good winter event is in its fourth year of fundraising and for 2016, Mazda will continue its donation of $150 per new Mazda sold or leased between November 21, 2016 and January 3, 2017, and donate one hour of charitable service for every test drive taken during that time. Since its launch in 2013, Mazda has donated more than $13 million to charity and has pledged more than 195,000 charitable service hours. Mazda is committed to helping communities through monetary donations and volunteer service, and will continue its work with four national charities and more than 40 local charities. Follow the conversation at #MazdaDrive4Good or MazdaUSA.com/Drive4Good.

My Block, My Hood, My City
My Block, My Hood, My City is on a mission to empower youth to reach their greatest potential by expanding their worldview through explorations in their own backyard. Some Chicago teenagers have never been downtown or seen Lake Michigan. Most have never traveled beyond their own block or neighborhood. Consequently, their worldview—what is possible for them and their peers—is geographically bound and constricted by their neighborhoods. If our youth are to have a fair chance at having fulfilling and independent lives, that inequality must be corrected. My Block, My Hood, My City’s Explorers’ program takes teenagers from schools in low social economic status neighborhoods on educational explorations. They receive a firsthand glimpse into different cultures and careers, people, and businesses. To learn more, visit http://mbmhmc.com/.

Elevating Connections
Elevating Connections focuses on youth who emancipate from foster care without finding a permanent home and siblings separated in foster care. The Colorado Department of Human Services reports that from January 2014-December 2015, over 15,000 children were in out-of-home placements in the state of Colorado. Of those children in foster care, 70% have one or more siblings. In Colorado, approximately 40% of children in foster care are separated from one or more of their siblings. That’s over 4,000 children separated from their siblings. To learn more, visit www.elevatingconnections.org.

Erin’s Hope for Friends
Erin’s Hope for Friends is bridging the gap for socially challenged teens and young adults by providing a safe place for joyful interactions. E’s club, a service of Erin’s Hope for Friends, will be the only center of its kind in Atlanta highly focused on facilitating positive social interactions and developing friendships for teens and young adults with HFAS. To learn more, visit www.erinshopeforfriends.org.

Move For Hunger
Move For Hunger is a non-profit organization that mobilizes the relocation industry to fight hunger and reduce food waste. They work with companies across the United States and Canada to collect unopened, non-perishable food from people who are relocating and deliver it to local food banks. To date, their network has collected over 7,000,000 pounds of food – that’s the equivalent of 6,000,000 meals – for the nearly 50 million Americans who struggle with food insecurity. For more information or to find out how you can help support Move For Hunger, visit www.MoveForHunger.org.

Warm Winters
On a February night five years ago, 11-year-old best friends Corinne Hindes and Katrine Kirsebom came upon a homeless man near their house, shivering in a T-shirt—a sight so disturbing that they knew, then and there, that they had to do something. Corinne and Katrine were passionate ski racers, and they decided to ask the ski areas they frequented if they would allow them to take their unclaimed lost & found items, including coats, hats, gloves and scarves, to donate to their local homeless shelter. The resorts said yes, and in 2011, Warm Winters was born. Today, Warm Winters has 32 ski resort partners in 12 states, with 500 youth volunteers who deliver the warm clothing to local homeless shelters, and do sock, toiletry and coat drives at their schools. To learn more, visit www.warm-winters.org.

About Mazda North American Operations
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com.

About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. To learn more visit: www.nbcuniversal.com.