The North American International Auto Show is set to take place this week in Detroit and with it usually comes a plethora of auto show events and activities. Of these events, Toyota Motor North America kicked off the week with their annual “Toyota Walk In My Boots” community outreach program to residents of the Salvation Army Harbor Light/Booth Family Shelter, which provides emergency services to homeless women and single mothers and their children for up to 90 days. Now, in its sixth year, the program donated winter boots and socks to over 150 Detroit area women and children in need.
On hand to help donate the boots and a check for $15K was Toyota’s Alva Mason, director, Multicultural Dealer Relations and Business Strategy; Captain Jamie Winkler, director, The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Harbor Light System; Greg Jackson, president and CEO, Prestige Automotive Group, which includes Prestige Warren Toyota, and special guest Ronnie McNeir of the Four Tops, who serenaded the women with the well-known hit song, Family Reunion. Also on hand was Munson Steed, Publisher of rolling out magazine, who signed and gave out copies of his first children’s book, Little Professor Skye Favorite Things, to every single family that wanted one.
The timing of this year’s event couldn’t have been more appropriate as metro Detroit temperatures plunged to single digit numbers this week. “The feedback that we get from the families, their gratitude for having insulated shoes, shows how happy they are. This is benefiting the families, and as long as it’s benefiting the families, and enhancing the communities, in which we live and work , Toyota will continue to be a pillar of strength. Toyota is about joining forces together in our communities, because we’re all about going places together,” Mason remarked after the donation portion of the event.
According to Mason, Toyota has additional direct involvement in Michigan alone, including supporting 1,400 jobs and investing over $1.2 billion in their Michigan facilities. In 2015 alone, Toyota’s donation and sponsorship activity in Michigan exceeded $2.3 million, contributing to helping to make the surrounding communities better.
Check out the photo gallery below to see pictures from this worthy event.
Photo Gallery Credit: Porsha Monique for Steed Media
