Boys & Girls Clubs in the Greater Houston Area Gifted 29 Toyota Vehicles to Support with Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

HOUSTON, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier this week, Boys & Girls Clubs in the Greater Houston area were gifted 29 vehicles from Toyota Financial Services to help with relief and rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey. The cars will provide staff with better ground access for day-to-day operations like transporting kids to their facilities after school.

"It's in moments of crisis that kids and teens most need a safe haven, and I am inspired by our selfless staff in Houston who worked around the clock during Hurricane Harvey to ensure our Club members had a positive, safe place to go," said Jim Clark, president & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Though the storm has since passed, the rebuilding continues. Toyota has stepped up in a huge way to support these ongoing relief efforts, and on behalf of our staff and Club members, we thank them for their generous donation."

More than 157 Clubs from Texas to Louisiana were in the direct path of the storm that hit this past August, and several facilities in Houston suffered both structural and flooding damage. Many Houston area Clubs remained open throughout the storm, a sign of Boys & Girls Clubs' unwavering commitment to support local youth and their families.

"As fellow Texans, the impact of Hurricane Harvey hit close to home," said Mike Groff, CEO of Toyota Financial Services (TFS). "We hope this donation will make life easier for Club staff, kids, teens and families who are still affected by the storm."

The following Houston area Clubs have been named recipients of the gifted vehicles: Boys & Girls Club of Bay City and Matagorda County, Boys & Girls Club of Beeville, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston, Boys & Girls Club of Kingsville, Boys & Girls Club of Walker County, Boys & Girls Club of Wharton, Boys & Girls Club of Brazos Valley, Boys & Girls Club of Deep East Texas, Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Bend Inc., Victoria, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Houston and The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Texas.

"We are astounded by Toyota's donation and are incredibly grateful for their support of the Houston area," said Kevin Hattery, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. "The recovery and rebuilding process, especially after such devastation, can be greatly overwhelming. Toyota's support will positively impact our day-to-day operations so that we can put our best efforts towards getting local kids and their families back to normal as quickly as possible."

This is not the first philanthropic partnership between Toyota and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Since 2007, through its "Making Life Easier" program, TFS has provided local Boys & Girls Club members, alumni and staff with resources to help ensure that all youth have access to a quality education. TFS has provided more than $2.4 million in academic scholarships for more than 560 Boys & Girls Club alumni and staff and supported thousands of middle- and high-school youth with mentorships, internships and financial or career programs to help them become productive and caring adults.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America will continue to help in hurricane-impacted areas. To learn how you can participate, please go to https://www.bgca.org/disasterrelief. Follow #BGCCares on social media to see how others are helping in these efforts and the role Boys & Girls Clubs play in helping families recover.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (bgca.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 4,300 Clubs serve 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.

About Toyota
Toyota builds more than just great cars. It helps build strong communities by partnering with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. To date, Toyota has contributed more than $700 million to nonprofits in the U.S. and shares its production know-how with nonprofits to help them find better ways of doing their work. Toyota, the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America. Visit https://www.toyota.com/usa/community/index.html for more information.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America