• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Volkswagen Group of America Donates 13 Vehicles to Fairfax County Public Schools

Posted on: Thursday, 4 June 2009, 10:00 CDT

HERNDON, Va., June 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA), today joined Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, and Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) administrators, board members, teachers and students to celebrate the company's donation of 13 vehicles to FCPS. The donation is part of an existing Partners in Education Program announced last year at the grand opening of the company's corporate headquarters in Herndon, Va.

"We're proud to be growing this partnership. It is exciting to think that these cars and the programs developed around them could help lead a young person to a decision about their future career," Jacoby said. "Our involvement in education is a natural outgrowth of the philosophy and culture of our company. We believe we should be an integral part of the community anywhere we have a significant presence. We're not just employers, we're neighbors. And we want to be good neighbors."

The vehicles, which are worth a total of nearly $500,000, add to the company's previously pledged five-year, $2.1 million initiative with FCPS, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and the D.C.-based Excel Institute. An additional 16 vehicles will also be donated to NOVA and the Excel Institute later this summer.

"Volkswagen has been a welcome addition to the Commonwealth since its arrival in 2007, and it is great to see their continued devotion to bettering the lives of young people in Fairfax County," said Governor Kaine. "The donation of these cars to Fairfax County Public Schools will help provide students with the necessary training to not only prepare for the future, but to learn about green diesel technologies that will help put them on the fast track in today's competitive job market."

Volkswagen Group of America's "Partners in Education" program focuses on creating a comprehensive education initiative for institutions in the greater Washington, D.C. area and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The partnership with high schools, universities, technical schools, and community colleges is designed to positively impact students throughout their educational experience and throughout the region.

The multi-year and multi-faceted partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools will establish an advanced automotive technologies program that will benefit more than 1,200 students. The program will train next generation engineers and mechanics; foster a highly educated group of environmentally conscious engineers and mechanics; and build a skilled homegrown local workforce.

Earlier this year, the Volkswagen Group announced an expansion of the Partners in Education program in Tennessee, the new home of its manufacturing operations in the U.S. That $5.28 million program will benefit students and teachers at the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, University Tennessee - Knoxville, University of Memphis, Fisk University, Tennessee State University and Hamilton County Public Schools.

About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world's fourth largest automaker and the largest carmaker in Europe. It houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc. Founded in 1955, the company's headquarters are in Herndon, Va.

Volkswagen Group of America brings to the U.S. vehicles that marry the science of engineering and the art of styling, with the goal of offering attractive, safe, and environmentally sound automobiles that are competitive and set world standards in their respective classes.

The company has approximately 2,500 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through an 800-strong dealer network. With increasing popularity for its brands in the U.S., the company has set the goal of reaching one million car sales in the country by 2018.

For more information, please visit www.volkswagengroupamerica.com.

SOURCE Volkswagen Group of America

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category