posted 01-09-2002 05:33 PM         

CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding automobile manufacturers contributions to the relief and recovery
efforts in New York and Washington. The findings are as follows.....

1. Ford- $1 million to American Red Cross, matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to
NY Fire Department. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government
employees.

2. GM- $1 million to American Red Cross, matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of vans,
SUV`s, and trucks.

3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack.

4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept.

5. Volkswagen- Employees and management created a Sept. 11 Foundation, funded initially with $2 million, for the
assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.

6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross.

7. Audi- Nothing.

8. BMW- Nothing.

9. Daewoo- Nothing.

10. Fiat- Nothing.

11. Honda- Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001

12. Isuzu- Nothing.

13. Mitsubishi- Nothing.

14. Nissan- Nothing.

15. Porsche- Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website.

16. Subaru- Nothing.

17. Suzuki- Nothing.

18. Toyota- Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001. Condolences posted on the website.

posted 01-10-2002 09:12 AM         

"Origins: Although we don't necessarily endorse the views expressed in the message quoted above, we took on the information-gathering task of visiting the web sites of all the automobile manufacturers listed above (plus a few not on the list), looking for information about September 11-related relief efforts, and our findings are reported below.

Important points to keep in mind are:

Our inability to locate information about charitable contributions on any particular manufacturer's web site does not necessarily mean that information does not exist on the web site.

The lack of information about charitable contributions on any particular manufacturer's web site does not necessarily mean that the manufacturer has made no such contributions.

Manufacturers may also have made contributions above and beyond those listed on their web sites.

We have made no effort to validate the veracity of the information offered on manufacturers' web sites; we are simply providing links to their statements.

In every case where we were unable to find relevant information on a manufacturer's web site, we contacted the company through their web site and invited them to respond to this message.

Corrections and additional information supplied by readers and manufacturers will be applied to this page promptly upon receipt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aston Martin: No information found on web site. (Aston Martin is now owned by Ford.)

Audi: Includes a press release about Audi's contribution of $100,000 to the New York Fire Fighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund and other fundraising efforts.
(Also see the entry for Volkswagen, as the Volkswagen Group includes Audi and Volkswagen in the United States.)

BMW: Includes press release about BMW Group's donations of $1 million in cash and ten new BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicles to the Red Cross for national relief efforts and 100 motorcycles to the New York Police Department.

Daewoo: No information found on web site.

DaimlerChrysler: Web site says they are committng $10 million to help children who have lost parents in terrorist attacks

Fiat: No information found on web site.

Ford: Includes detailed page about Ford's participation in the National Tragedy Relief Effort, including donations of $1 million each to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army and a program for matching all individual employee contributions.

General Motors: Includes GM Response To National Tragedy detailing General Motors' many contributions to organizations assisting September 11 victims, including donations of $1 million to the American Red Cross and 50 automobiles to the New York City Fire Department.

Honda: A Honda Responds page lists contributions of $1.5 million to the United Way of New York's "September 11 Fund" and the American Red Cross.

Hyundai: The Hyundai Cares page promises a $300,000 donation to the American Red Cross.

Isuzu: No information found in Isuzu News section of web site.

Mitsubishi: Page about Contributions to Relief Efforts details Mitsubishi's contributions to September 11 programs, including $200,000 raised for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Nissan: A page on Nissan's web site announces their $1 million donation to the American Red Cross and the Twin Towers Fund plus details other forms of support the company and its employees have put forward.

Porsche: No information found on Porsche's page of press releases.

Subaru: A Subaru in the Community page mentions that Subaru and its parent company have donated to the American Red Cross, and made portable generators available to FEMA, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army

Suzuki: Opening page includes statement of condolences with a link to Liberty Unites site, but no explanation of specific contributions made to relief efforts by Suzuki.

Toyota: Toyota was the one automobile company that took the initiative of contacting us, even though we had not given any indication we would be writing about this topic. Their page about Toyota's Contributions to the Relief Effort details a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross and a program to match similar employee contributions.

Volvo: Opening page of web site includes link to a letter to New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani offering the city the use of Volvo and Mack vehicles and equipment at the Volvo Group's expense. (Volvo automotive is now owned by Ford.)

posted 01-10-2002 12:10 PM         

I'm starting to figure out I'm a very gulible person.
You can probably sell me a tree in the middle of the pacific ocean and I would believe you and buy it.

Thank You!!

posted 01-10-2002 05:41 PM         

Rich would really challenge me with real good animation sequences. For all I know he is a pro at multimedia but is much to humble to admit it.

You need people like Rich to lead you in the right path. You need good counsel every so often.

Thank you Rich ....

By the way, I'm waiting on Cliff Watson to do that. Somehow I feel he will challenge me here soon. I'm waiting for him to do something I do not know how to do. So far I'm hangin in there.