GM Arlington Assembly Celebrates Partnerships by Giving Back

News provided by

Jan 27, 2011, 01:44 ET

ARLINGTON, Texas, Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

GM Foundation donates $130,000 to local charities
GM Arlington Plant built many of the Super Bowl courtesy vehicles

GM leadership and United Auto Workers officials today announced several community contributions to celebrate the long-standing partnership between the Arlington Assembly Plant and the local community.

"General Motors couldn't be successful without strong support from our plant communities," said John Montford, GM special advisor and board chairman of the GM Foundation. "These donations are another example of how the GM Foundation is giving back to the communities that have supported us over the years.

"Any business needs collaboration to succeed, and we see great teamwork in Arlington on a daily basis," he said. "From union and management working together to employees volunteering to help local non-profits, we know the power of partnerships."

More than 1,000 employees gathered at the event to learn about these GM Foundation contributions:

River Legacy Foundation - $25,000

River Legacy Foundation began in 1988 as a unique public/private partnership with the City of Arlington. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the parkland along the Trinity River as an extraordinary educational, recreational and natural resource. The Arlington Plant is ISO 14001 certified and has earned numerous environmental accolades through programs like EPA Energy Star and Clean Industries of Texas.

Parkview Neighborhood Association - $25,000

This unique neighbor is located virtually next door to the plant. Over the years, plant employees have partnered with this organization on projects like the "National Night Out Project" and the plant and the association are currently exploring a community garden project.

Arlington Independent School District Foundation - $25,000

The GM Foundation and Arlington Assembly recognize that business success is directly linked to the skills and talents of the workforce. Contributions to Arlington ISD Foundation will pay dividends for years to come by supporting a strong educational system in this plant community.

United Way of Tarrant County - $55,000

Last year, UAW and GM team members made personal donations totaling $153,983.50 to the United Way. This additional GM Foundation grant brings the overall United Way of Tarrant

County contribution to $208,983.50. United Way of Tarrant County has more than 85 years of experience investing money, expertise and other resources to improve lives in the communities it serves.

Leadership from the UAW and GM also took the opportunity to celebrate the use of nearly 500 GMC vehicles loaned as courtesy transportation for special guests during Super Bowl XLV. Many of the vehicles were built locally at the plant by UAW Local 276.

"The Arlington community has worked very hard to be a good host to visitors from around the world attending the game," said Paul Graham, Arlington plant manager. "We are delighted to play a small part in that effort through our plant open house next week and by making the high-quality vehicles used as courtesy transportation for the NFL."

"UAW Local 276 not only builds some of the finest full-size SUVs in the world, but our membership is active in our community," said Belinda Langley, Local 276 shop chairperson. "We are proud to be a vital part of Arlington and we can't wait to show visitors all we do to ensure they get a top quality product from our plant."

In November 2010, GM announced that it would hold 54 open houses to thank the communities for supporting the company and operations. The Arlington Assembly Open House (Jan. 31 to Feb. 3) is the first location to hold its event. The majority of the plant open houses will take place in the Spring and Summer of 2011.

About Arlington Assembly Plant – Approximately 2,400 employees, most represented by UAW Local 276, work on two-shifts to produce more than 1,000 SUVs a day, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.

About General Motors – General Motors Company (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM's largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Italy, Russia, Mexico, and Uzbekistan. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

About the GM Foundation: Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to deserving American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. For more information, visit www.gm.com/corporate/responsibility/community.

SOURCE General Motors