PONTIAC, Mich., July 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With temperatures reaching 90 degrees, more than 100 Chrysler Group LLC manufacturing employees braved the heat Saturday to paint, build, repair and beautify The Baldwin Center, an organization that provides support services for homeless and needy individuals in Pontiac, Mich. The home improvements are part of Chrysler Group's Community Action Day, a company initiative that encourages employee volunteerism and community involvement.
"It's rewarding to know that in some small way the work we're doing today will help The Baldwin Center accomplish its mission to feed, clothe, educate and empower those in need," said Frederick Goedtel, Vice President and Head of Assembly Operations, Chrysler Group LLC. "Our employees have a strong tradition of supporting the communities in which the company does business. We are pleased that our partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and their community partner, The Baldwin Center,enable us to continue this tradition."
Projects at The Baldwin Center included the following:
- Weeding, watering and harvesting vegetables in the community garden and hoop houses. The garden serves as a youth-focused education program.
- Repairing, expanding and painting the Clothes Closet porch. In a typical year, more than 13,000 people receive clothes, shoes and small household items from the Clothes Closet.
- Cleaning and landscaping the playground.
Today's Community Action Day is the fourth in a series of high-impact community service projects Chrysler Group employees have participated in since October 2010. In recent months, employees have sorted food at Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park, Mich. and participated in painting and beautification projects at the Kokomo Rescue Mission and Open Arms Shelter in Indiana.
The Baldwin Center was created as an outreach program of the Baldwin Avenue United Methodist Church in response to increasing poverty in the neighborhood. The Center has been serving the community since 1981 and currently offers more than 25 support programs that meet basic needs, offer assistance in a crisis, provide education and enrichment opportunities for adults and children, and serve as a safety net.
SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC
