DEARBORN -- In recognition of the importance of children & families, the Ford Volunteer Corps has enlisted hundreds of volunteers for projects focused on their needs during the first Ford Accelerated Action Day of the year.

MODEL Teams of more than 300 Ford volunteers are working in shelters, schools and community centers. They are painting, cleaning, building and renovating in support of urgent projects identified by Ford's nonprofit agency partners.

“Children and families are the foundation for building a better world," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "We are helping to instill hope and optimism in people who have seen much hardship."

Many of the organizations also are receiving mini-grants of up to $5,000 to buy the tools and materials needed to complete their volunteer projects. Ford grants totaling $50,000 have been awarded to participating agencies, including:

• Advanced Technology Academy, Dearborn – help students paint a community mural
• Coalition on Temporary Housing (COTS), Detroit – paint and decorate family lounges
• First Step Domestic Violence Program, Wayne – renovate teen & recreation areas
• Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp, Detroit – clean, paint and repair rescued homes
• HAVEN, Pontiac - paint entryway, install window treatments and assemble furniture
• Junior Achievement, Detroit – assist middle school students with budget exercises
• Legal Aid & Defender Assoc., SE Michigan – Ford attorneys help needy families get benefits
• Methodist Children's Home Society, Redford – paint and update residential cottages
• Mosaic Youth Theater, Detroit – paint and clean training and rehearsal facility
• Penrickton Center for Blind Children, Taylor – adapt battery powered toys & build shelves
• Project SALUTE, Dearborn – training on basic veteran's benefits
• Salvation Army – Denby Center, Detroit – paint gym and recreation area for residents
• Starfish Family Services, Inkster – help young children with activities to develop motor skills
• Vista Maria, Dearborn Heights – paint bedrooms and resource rooms
• World Medical Relief, Detroit – assemble hygiene kits for homeless shelter residents

In addition to the helping hands of volunteers, Ford also sponsored a diaper & formula drive for babies in southeast Michigan at more than a dozen Ford buildings in the Detroit area. Ford’s agency partners report a critical need for diapers and baby formula among low-income families.

“Ford and its employees are thankful that we are able to help the most vulnerable people in our local communities," said Janet Lawson, director, Ford Volunteer Corps. “Sharing our time and sharing of ourselves can make all the difference in the lives of children and families."