TORRANCE, Calif., March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston volunteers are invited to join
eco-mom, former WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie as she helps Toyota and the
Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) celebrate its four-year
partnership.
Since 2009, the Toyota Green Initiative (TGI) – the automaker's
environmental stewardship program – has proudly educated students,
faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs) on the community benefits of sustainable living. TGI is
continuing its journey to spread the word on the value of
environmental awareness, so the group is using HBCU showcase SWAC
basketball tournament in Houston
as a platform for sharing that knowledge.
Leading up to the SWAC basketball finals, TGI will flex its
philanthropic muscles during its day of service TGI Serve,
where green enthusiasts and local volunteers are invited to help
green the Boys & Girls Club at Finnigan Park (4900 Providence, Building C) on Friday, March 13 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm.
TGI Coalition members, including Lisa
Leslie will share their eco-platform and sustainability
practices, while Houston's premier
DJ and philanthropist DJ SupaStar keeps the party rocking.
"We're proud to partner with SWAC while providing resources that
help promote sustainable living," said Jim Colon, vice
president of African-American Business Strategy for Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Our
commitment to environmental progress extends throughout HBCU
campuses and the surrounding communities."
In addition, the TGI coalition, a collection of celebrities and
environmental experts who speak on relevant ways to go green, will
be in attendance. Coalition members include: Charlotte–native and
TGI Campus Contest Winner Stephen Graddick IV, environmental
advocates Earthseed, SMB Essentials CEO Lake Louise, green blogger
Yoli Ouiya and environmentalist and former NFL player Will
Witherspoon.
This year, Toyota will also be receiving the SWAC Corporate
Champion award based on its outstanding contribution to the overall
mission of staging elite championships for its students and
commitment to providing innovative partnerships and grassroots
opportunities through its day of service.
"The SWAC is honored to award Toyota with the SWAC
Corporate Champion award," said SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp. "Toyota has been a first-class
partner for all of the SWAC schools. In addition to being our
title partner for both the SWAC football and basketball
championships, Toyota's commitment to incorporating green
technology into the campuses has been outstanding."
About Toyota Green Initiative
Launched by Toyota in
2009, the Toyota Green Initiative is designed to educate students,
faculty and alumni of historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs) on the benefits of adopting a sustainable lifestyle.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), 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 assembled more than 25
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ more than 40,000 people (more than 32,000
in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the
U.S.) sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks (more than 2.2
million in the U.S.) in 2013 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota
vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road
today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As
part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.
For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Toyota