News Releases
MAY 15, 2015 (LOS ANGELES) – After-School All-Stars (ASAS) announced today that the Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc. is supporting student-led service projects that bring greater awareness to the dangers of distracted driving. In partnership with the Mazda Foundation and Project Yellow Light, ASAS Los Angeles Youth Advisory Board Member Citlali Aguilera-Rico will be recognized at the H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday) event this Friday for organizing a school fair to bring greater awareness to the dangers of distracted driving. The fair included a driving obstacle course and a call to action in which students signed pledges to not text and drive. Kenton Koch, winner of the Skip Barber MazdaSpeed Pro Challenge and a FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy Americas Selection Event, will join Aguilera-Rico to emcee the H.O.P.E. event on Friday, with Koch sharing highlights from his racing career and safe driving tips, and Aguilera-Rico encouraging other students to continue to get involved in their communities. The H.O.P.E. event will have booths, activities, food, student music and dance performances, and attendees will even have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a genuine Mazda Motorsports race car and get their picture taken. Nearly 600 All-Stars from ASAS school sites across all of the greater Los Angeles area are expected to attend.
When: Friday, May 15, 2015, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: Belvedere Middle School: 312 N Record Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90063
What: The event will celebrate students who give back to their communities and encourage continued civic engagement, with a special focus on students working to reduce distracted driving.
“We are inspired at how Citlali has mobilized her local school community and All-Stars across the greater Los Angeles area to bring increased awareness to the issue of distracted driving, a serious community concern. Her efforts are especially important in a city like Los Angeles in which so many families rely on their cars for transportation,” said Tamara Mlynarczyk, Manager, Public Affairs, Mazda North American Operations. “The Mazda Foundation is proud to support remarkable students like Citlali leading these important efforts.”
Friday’s event is just one of nine student-led community service events organized by After-School All-Stars Youth Advisory Board Members aimed at reducing distracted driving taking place across the country as part of Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), established in 1988 to celebrate and mobilize the millions of young people who improve their communities through service. GYSD is the largest service event in the world and the only one dedicated to the contributions that children and youth make 365 days of the year. ASAS’ Youth Advisory Board Members’ distracted driving events also mark the culmination of a year of service learning which began in July 2014 at a student leadership and advocacy training summit in Washington D.C. made possible by the Mazda Foundation (USA), the exclusive sponsor of ASAS’ Life Service Action (LSA) national initiative. LSA was developed to enhance student achievement, help students develop as leaders, and inspire participants to engage in their communities, through student-led, curriculum-driven service learning projects.
About Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc.
Acting on a strong sense of responsibility to give something back to the communities in which it operates, Mazda established a philanthropic foundation. As the corporate foundation of Mazda North American Operations, it has awarded over $8 million to worthwhile causes across the United States since its initial grants in 1992. To learn more about the Mazda Foundation, please visit www.mazdafoundation.org.
About After-School All-Stars
Founded in 1992, After-School All-Stars (ASAS) is a leading national provider of year-round, school-based, comprehensive afterschool programs. The organization’s mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in low-income communities have access to free programs that offer academic support, enrichment opportunities, and health and fitness activities. Nearly 90,000 children from 15 U.S. regions benefit: ASAS serves Atlanta, Chicago, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Ohio, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, South Florida and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.as-as.org.
323-938-3232 ext. 121
Kristy@as-as.orgORCarley Hummel, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
714-913-9942
Carley.Hummel@hkstrategies.com