GM Foundation Donates $75,000 to 11 Area Organizations through Plant City Grants Program

The GM Foundation today donated $75,000 to 11 nonprofit organizations in the Bowling Green area, making this the fifth consecutive year the foundation’s Plant City Grants are being awarded in the home of the iconic Chevrolet Corvette.  In the last five years, GM Foundation donations in the region totaled $325,000, including Plant City Grants and a fully-funded Habitat for Humanity project in 2014.

“General Motors is committed to supporting the communities that our employees call home,” said GM Foundation Vice President Lori Wingerter. “This year, the GM Foundation plans to provide $2 million in funding to hundreds of organizations across the country that provide critical resources that families and neighborhoods rely on every day.”

The grants were announced and presented at the Boys & Girls Club of Bowling Green, where 24 GM employees spent their day volunteering to clean and organize the facility, room by room. In fact, a total of 80 GM employees from sites across the U.S. converged in Bowling Green this week to provide ride and drive opportunities and community service work as part of GM’s Outreach Program. In addition to the Boys & Girls Club, service projects included work at St. Vincent DePaul, New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding, the International Center of KY and KY Legal Aid.

The 2015 Bowling Green grant funds will support the following organizations and community programs: 

Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. – The grant will be used for emergency assistance, resources and programs for regional domestic violence and homeless shelter residents.

Boys & Girls Club of Bowling Green – The donation will support reading programs to help ensure all Club members are on track to graduate from high school and are ready for college, trade school, the military or employment.

·         The Friends of the Lost River, Inc. – Funds will be used to purchase a compact dump trailer to improve efficiency and sustainability, as well as tandem kayaks, allowing two people to travel in one kayak. These tandem kayaks will make the cave’s kayaking program safer for minors and those with impairments.

·         Public Theatre of Kentucky – Funds will be used for the Sunburst Youth Theatre educational programming, including day camps where children ages 7-12 build their own props, do scenic painting, sound, lighting, costuming and acting, monologue workshops for 13-18 year-olds and other productions.

·         United Way of Southern Kentucky – Funding will be used to provide help in the areas of education, income and health & safety net for Warren County residents. It is clear that these issues are fundamentally connected; when one area is impacted, others may be impacted indirectly.

·         Family Enrichment Center – The grant will be used to provide more full-time childcare services to children whose families put them at risk.

·         African American Museum – Funds will be used to purchase electronic equipment and software that will enable audio/video, interactive and multimedia displays, along with other display essentials including stanchions, fiberboard display panels, mannequins, pedestals, stands and easels.

·         Bowling Green Alliance for Mentally Ill – The grant will be used to train two PTSD dogs and two veterans through the PETS-4-VETS (Providing Effective Therapy through Service Dogs) program, providing recovery support for veterans and their families.

·         CASA – Funds will be used to train 20 new volunteers, enabling them to serve 20 new families including approximately 30 or more dependent, neglected, abused and sexually abused children.

·         Center for Courageous Kids – The grant will support the Summer Camp Program for Critically Ill Children. The program is a traditional overnight camping experience held during 9, one-week sessions, where children meet other children living with the same condition and learn self-care skills while engaging in activities such as horseback riding, swimming, bowling, theatre, woodshop, boating, fishing and archery.

·         Recovery Kentucky Foundation, Inc. – Funds will be used to support their computer labs in western Kentucky recovery centers. These computers, printers and IT support services help residents complete their GED as well as develop skills related to job applications, resume writing and information technology.

“Through the GM Foundation Plant City Grants, these vital community organizations will be able to fund critical programs that help so many local families,” said Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Assistant Plant Manager Nora Roper. “We couldn’t be happier to support these local organizations.”

Macy's Awards Education Grant to Corvette Museum

The National Corvette Museum has received a $1,000 grant from Macy's to support youth Engineering with Minecraft Camps.

Across the country, support from Macy's and Bloomingdale’s giving programs helped sponsor free admission to museums and exhibits, special musical performances, art exhibits, and art and theatre workshops for children.

"In the past year we have hosted five Hooked on Science Engineering with Minecraft Camps, and all five of them have sold out with long wait lists," said Museum Education Coordinator Kellie Steen. "Through this support from Macy's we have already scheduled three more camps for September 21, 2015, January 18, 2016 and February 15, 2016 when many of the area school children are out for holidays. We are thrilled with this new partnership to bring more kids out to the Museum for educational opportunities."

Bowling Green's Macy's has continued to partner with the Museum by offering a Corvette Store presence within their Greenwood Mall location. Additionally, the Museum loans Corvettes to the store for display as a way to cross promote the brands. Labor Day Weekend, as part of the Museum’s 21^st Anniversary Celebration, Macy’s will be display two additional Museum-owned Corvettes, a 1959 and a 1966.

“Macy’s prides itself on offering products from iconic American brands, and Corvette is THE American Sports Car. It was only natural for our Bowling Green store to form a meaningful and on-going partnership with the National Corvette Museum,” said Terry Busing, VP Store Manager at Macy’s. “We are excited that our grant will help bring additional Minecraft camps to the Museum.”

View and register for upcoming camps on our website at www.corvettemuseum.org/registration/camps.

Museum Gifted 35th Anniversary Corvette

Rick and Deb Seymour with the 1988 35th Anniversary Corvette

It was 1988. The Seymours were in their early 30s and already owners of a 1985 Corvette. After seeing the new 35^th Anniversary Edition on the cover of Vette Vues magazine they started to think about upgrading their Corvette to a newer model. “At first, our dealer didn’t think he was going to be able to get one of the special limited editions,” recalls Rick. But then the phone call came that they did indeed score one. “It was May 28 and we decided to go to the dealership to see it,” says Rick. “We walked into the showroom, and that was it.” The Seymours told the dealer they wanted it, to rope it off and they would be back for the car. “Our car payment was more than our house payment,” laughs Deb.

It doesn’t take long to understand why the Seymours get emotional when talking about the car. It was driven just a little here and there (racking up only 380 miles), and it was pampered, never being washed with a hose, except for when the wheels and tires needed cleaning. It is all original except for the battery, and gloves even kept body oil from making their way onto the steering wheel. “You might consider it a little nutty,” Rick chuckles. We reassured Rick that, while few in number, we do have a couple of cars with the plastic still covering the interior. But overall, this car is unlike most. It is a true Museum quality show piece in the same condition it was in when it rolled off the line. A well preserved example of those 2,050 35^th Anniversary Corvettes made for 1988. The quality of the car’s condition would not go unnoticed.

When Bloomington Gold moved to the Seymour’s hometown of Champaign, IL they knew it was time to get the car certified. “We shipped the car in an enclosed trailer, and turned the trip into a wonderful celebration,” remembers Deb. “Lots of friends and family came to see the car get certified.” The car earned Bloomington Gold, Survivor and Benchmark Certifications before being returned home to Garden City, ID.

It was a 2006 trip to Bowling Green that convinced Lifetime Museum Members Rick and Deb that their baby should eventually return “home” to Kentucky. The couple participated in a R8C Corvette Delivery, picking up their new 2006 Z06 at the Museum and touring the GM plant, even getting to start up a car fresh off the assembly line. “That trip convinced us that this is our car’s home,” said Deb.

The couple had put the 1988 in their will for the Museum, but after reading that the Museum was seeking a 35^th Anniversary Corvette for display, decided that now might be the time to go ahead and donate it.  “After it was certified, all it did was sit on a rack, covered,” explains Deb. “We decided we might as well donate it while we are still alive so we can come see it, and others can see it.”

The car was again loaded onto a transporter and shipped to Bowling Green, arriving at the Museum at the end of July. “This is a big part of our lives,” says Deb. “The opportunity to share it with so many people is just the best thing that could happen to us.”

Thank you to Richard and Debra for entrusting your beautiful piece of history to the Museum. The Corvette is now featured in the Skydome as part of an Anniversary and Special Edition display and is sure to be enjoyed by many visitors for years to come.