HONDA The Power of Dreams

In 1993, Honda opened Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center in Estes Park, Colorado in order to promote the expansion of educational opportunities. The school’s mission is to help the most disengaged students find their way back to an appreciation of education. Eagle Rock School supports its students via a unique educational environment that encourages community, integrity, and citizenship.

In addition to providing unique education experiences for students, Eagle Rock School is also home to the Professional Development Center, which works with educators to advise them on new approaches in teaching and making their schools centers of engagement and learning. The Professional Development Center provides these consulting services at school sites around the United States and on its campus in Estes Park.
In 2020, the campus was closed due to COVID-19. Although students returned to their homes, Eagle Rock School provided continuous remote learning and ongoing student support. The school was not able to have an in-person graduation ceremony as a result of the pandemic. However, they did have a virtual Celebration of Graduates to honor students with family members, instructors, and fellow students.
Eagle Rock has an enrollment capacity of 72 students and in 2021 the school had more than 310 graduates.

Honda has supported the success and dreams of students at America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for more than three decades, impacting the lives of more than 200,000 students. Honda supports HBCU students through initiatives like the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) and Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB), as well as scholarship support in partnership with nonprofit organizations such as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF.

Honda is currently working to advance our longstanding partnerships with HBCUs in an effort to access new talent pools of recruits as part of our national workforce development initiative.
We are a member of the HBCU Partnership Challenge, a Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus initiative that brings together government, industry and HBCUs to create strategic, more sustainable HBCU partnerships.

HBCU initiatives are among our longest-standing CSR activities, with over $14 million in grants supporting education programs and facilities, and we continue to build on this relationship. Last year, Honda made the Thurgood Marshall College Fund the beneficiary of the Honda Civic Type R Omaze sweepstakes, raffling the Type R to generate $500,000 in new grants to support HBCU students.

Each year, through HCASC Honda awards over $420,000 in institutional grants to the participating HBCUs, including a $75,000 grant to the winning school. Through HBOB, Honda annually awards approximately $200,000 in grants to the schools of participating marching bands. More than 20,000 student musicians have participated since its inception. In addition to the marching band performances, Honda hosts an HBCU College Fair to connect high school students with representatives from over 50 HBCUs.

Honda also provided further educational support for HBCU students through its partnership with UNCF chapters throughout the United States, including California, Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama, and Indiana. Honda associates showed their support by participating in the UNCF Virtual Walk for Education by walking in their own neighborhoods, helping to raise awareness for UNCF and raise critical funds for UNCF’s mission.

Honda has long celebrated Manufacturing Day by inviting students to Honda facilities for tours, hands on activities and a chance to interact with Honda associates. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda took the event online. This year, Honda again held a virtual Manufacturing Day and has further expanded opportunities to the entire month of October to show students just what a career at Honda would look like. Manufacturing Month kicked off with Manufacturing Day on October 1 with a full day of virtual workshops for students that included a chance to ask Honda associates questions and even win prizes.

Activities for the second week revolved around a Creators Wanted Mobile Unit on display at Columbus State Community College in Ohio. Honda sponsored the mobile unit and had a dedicated room in the Creators Wanted display, which was put together by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Manufacturing Institute. During its inaugural stop in Columbus, college and high school students had the chance to visit the escape room-like experience and talk with Honda associates. The Creators Wanted Mobile Unit made a stop in South Carolina last week where Honda associates and products were on hand, and the experience will continue to make its way across the U.S. McLemore also hosted a video walk-through of the mobile experience for all who could not make it to a Creators Wanted stop.

Team Honda Week(s) of Service rolled toward its August 31 end with many Honda associates, suppliers and dealer employees around the country completing volunteer activities. The program was lengthened this year to allow volunteers the opportunity to safely support their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the extension from one week to three months has given Honda associates, suppliers and dealerships more time to help in the communities where they live and work.

The volunteer activities this year included virtual drives of various types – food drives and school supply drives – collecting more than 50,000 items. While several Honda companies held their own school supply drives, a virtual school supply drive allowed associates to donate to schools across the country from the comfort of their home for the first time. The virtual drive exceeded its goal of 10,000 items with more than 33,000 goods collected – a value of $41,067. Honda Canada Foundation Community Relations team, in partnership with Zone offices, held their first Back to School Backpack Campaign. Associates across Canada were proud to support local charities who work with underserved youth that are preparing to return to school. Over 100 associates at the National and Zone offices took part in raising over $1,200, donating over 100 backpacks and over 1,000 needed school supplies. In addition, the Honda Canada Foundation team worked with each Zone office to select an appropriate local charity to receive a $5,000 donation to directly support local back to school efforts.

The Honda family of companies in the U.S. have continued to support the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio, and McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama to help bring their programming to youth of all ages.

Since 1984, Honda has supported the COSI hands-on science museum with both cash and in-kind donations and with volunteers to support events. COSI also helps Honda achieve its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mission to inspire underrepresented students. Honda’s “Meet the Innovators” exhibit opened in 2016, introducing COSI visitors to the research and development work that takes place in Ohio with a series of hands-on activities and videos of Honda engineers. This year, Acura auctioned off the very first serial production 2022 NSX Type S during Monterey Car Week. Proceeds from the sale of the exclusive supercar benefitted the charity, including an innovative STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education program for underserved youth nationwide in partnership with COSI. It provided more than 20,000 award-winning COSI Learning Lunchbox STEAM Kits, which are delivered alongside community organizations to help feed hungry minds and lives for at-risk and in-need students across the country. COSI Learning Lunchboxes are STEAM learning kits filled with educational activities and resources for engaging children and families through experiences in science. These STEAM kits are helping to bridge the education gap for underserved youth by increasing youth engagement.

To further STEAM education in Honda communities, Honda supported the McWane Science Center’s programs. The McWane Science Center helps to “spark wonder and curiosity about the world though hands-on science” and makes learning fun for children of all ages in Birmingham and beyond. In response to the pandemic, the McWane Science Center took their educational programs and demonstrations online with digital workshops, live streams, and on-demand videos. These science lessons offered a unique, interactive opportunity to engage students in science.

The Honda family of companies in the U.S has continuously worked to support the conservation of local communities by collaborating with organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and Adopt-A-Highway.

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Nearly 30 years ago, Honda and the Ohio chapter of The Nature Conservancy began this public-private partnership to preserve the watershed, which is one of the Midwest’s most biologically diverse aquatic systems. This preservation protects the humble cold-water springs and streams that combine to form the headwaters of Big Darby Creek. This area is noted nationally for its tremendous diversity and abundance of both aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. It is home to 86 species of fish, five of which are endangered in Ohio. Forty-one species of freshwater mollusks live in these waters, eight of which are on the Ohio endangered list. To date, Honda has created a wetland mitigation area comprising 10 acres of new forested wetlands and 20 acres of enhanced wetlands.

Adopt-A-Highway is one of the methods which the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses to control litter and to keep the state's highways beautiful. The program allows volunteer groups to adopt a two-mile section or an interchange along a state, federal or interstate route, free of cost. Honda’s Ohio Transmission Plant in Russells Point has been awarded the Gold Star Adopt-A-Highway designation from the ODOT. The plant has been active for 25+ years with litter pickup, holding more than 100 Adopt-a-Highway clean-up events, and consistently prioritizing safety and environmental excellence. Six new signs displaying the plant’s name and Gold Star award can be viewed along state routes leading to the plant.

Earth Day Indiana holds an annual festival in Indianapolis, Indiana designed to celebrate and educate the community on environmental topics such as recycling, conservation of natural resources, and sustainable living. For 10 years, Honda has been a supporter of the annual Earth Day Festival.

Honda continued its partnership with Earth Day Indiana by providing sponsorship to support the festival. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s festival followed social distancing and safety guidelines and included over 100 exhibitors providing information on environmental stewardship. The Earth Day Festival reaches thousands of people annually, spreading awareness of the importance of protecting the environment.

Earth Rangers is an environmental conservation organization for children, with over 250,000 members across Canada. Earth Rangers is committed to educating children about biodiversity and sustainable behavior to empower them to protect animals and their habitats. For over 10 years, Honda Canada Foundation has partnered with Earth Rangers, and during this time it has grown from a local community initiative to reaching more than 225 schools and over 75,000 students across Canada.

Honda Canada Foundation supports the Earth Rangers School Assembly program, designed to bring environmental education programming directly to students and teachers. Staying healthy and safe is of the utmost importance to Earth Rangers as it continues to focus on making quality programming available for children during these unprecedented times. The program is an exciting and interactive presentation complete with live animals, games and trivia, captivating video content, and two enthusiastic presenters who explain complex environmental issues in a way that children can understand. The program not only teaches children about the environmental issues our planet is facing — it empowers them to take action. The assembly inspires students by highlighting the real-life work conservationists are doing, showing them how they too can take action for a cause they care about. Children become excited about helping the environment and feel confident that they can create real change.

Since 2003, Honda in Ohio has supported Dayton Children’s Hospital in its pediatric injury prevention initiatives. One thousand people are served annually through these programs.

One initiative from Dayton Children’s Hospital is focused on child passenger safety. The Child Passenger Safety and Education program performs routine car seat checks at the hospital and throughout the community. Parents are encouraged to have their child car seat or booster seat inspected by a certified child passenger safety technician. The technicians have extensive training in car seats, cars, and seat belt systems and can answer questions and provide information to parents. The car seat inspections not only check for recalls, but also ensure that seats are properly installed. The program also provides safety seats to families who cannot afford to purchase one. Car seats are distributed through local community organizations.

Dayton Children’s Hospital also distributes free helmets and educational information regarding bike safety to children in the community. Helmets are distributed at various community and biking organizations throughout the region. These methods of distribution help build stronger community relationships and allow the program to reach the community in new and innovative ways.

With nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25, Honda is building on its “Safety For Everyone” approach with several new initiatives targeting young driver safety. The multi-pronged effort includes more than $2 million in safety-related financial support; driver safety education resources; and a targeted social media advertising campaign highlighting young crash survivors, starting during National Teen Driver Safety Week.

Honda has initiated a new program specifically to support programs promoting teen driver safety and education with $2 million in funding available to eligible U.S. organizations. These programs are expected to include education, training and resources that supplement or go beyond traditional driver training courses or mandated state driver programs. Financial support will be awarded in spring 2022.

Honda participates in Pride-related activities because it aligns with the foundational philosophy of respect for the individual, and commitment to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. This year, many Pride parades were virtual, so associates were encouraged to attend from wherever they are located. In recognition of Pride Month, Honda also raised the rainbow pride flag at all American Honda (AHM) and Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA) locations throughout June.
In February, Honda partnered with Out & Equal to host a webinar titled “Intersectional Allyship in the Workplace”. PRISM BRG members as well as HR and leaders across the organization were invited to attend. We discussed topics such as understanding and developing practices for intersectional allyship.

Honda joined more than 135 companies in signing a letter by the Human Rights Campaign opposing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being considered in states across the country.

Black History Month is an annual celebration in February to recognize the achievements of African Americans and their central role in U.S. history. This year, Honda chapters of the African American Resource Collective of Honda collaborated on planning weekly events to celebrate Black History Month. Honda also supports the National Urban League, a civic rights and urban advocacy organization, including a $1,000,000 pledge towards Building for the Future: Campaign for Equity. Honda will take 25 tangible actions by 2025 towards fulfilling the National Association of Manufacturers Pledge for Action which asks all manufacturers to work together to commit to 50,000 tangible actions to increase equity and parity for underrepresented communities.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. ENABLE (BRG) is dedicated to creating a more inclusive environment at Honda by promoting disability awareness and empowering people with disabilities. ENABLE BRG organized a focus group for ENABLE BRG members in collaboration with Honda's Automotive Design and User Experience Division. The focus group, attended both by associates from Automotive Design and User Experience and ENABLE members, was an opportunity for participants to share ideas for making the company's products more attractive to customers with disabilities.

The Honda family of companies in the U.S. is committed to helping our communities in the Southeast and Midwest recover from the recent tornadoes by contributing $500,000 in humanitarian aid to organizations supporting those impacted the most. The companies’ pledge includes corporate contributions of $250,000 to the American Red Cross and $250,000 to Feeding Kentucky to assist with both immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts, which includes food security for those most in need.

The Red Cross continues to work alongside state officials and other community organizations to support people in need, including those staying in emergency shelters and other temporary accommodations, such as state park lodges and hotel rooms. More than 25,000 overnight shelter stays have been provided. With the help of partners like Honda, the Red Cross has served 87,400 meals and snacks, distributed 52,100 relief items, and provided 11,600 individual care contacts to help people with medical or disability needs, as well as emotional and spiritual support during these challenging times. To date, it has opened more than 2,800 cases to provide survivors with recovery support. Of those cases, some 2,000 households have received financial assistance.

The funding provided to Feeding Kentucky assisted them in delivering 1,627 food bags to emergency shelters and deploying four additional food distributions in Bowling Green, Kentucky, each serving 500 households. They received and directed more than 50 tractor trailer loads of food from distributors.
Funds will be further used for increased expenses, leasing additional warehouse space and equipping it with a forklift, pallet jacks, leasing delivery trucks, cold storage, etc.

In an effort to more comprehensively reduce the spread of COVID-19, Honda is increasing our prevention activities across our operations.

Vaccines have been shown to be a strong defense against getting COVID-19 and, most importantly, decreasing the risk of serious illness leading to hospitalization or death. Currently, more than 97% of all hospitalizations and deaths are occurring in people who have not been vaccinated, and most of those are from the more contagious Delta variant.
Vaccination will help our team of associates, including the at-risk population who cannot receive the vaccine, stay healthy and support the overall health of our families, workplace and communities.

Honda is offering a taxable $400 cash incentive for any current associate who voluntarily provides proof of vaccination. Vaccinated associates can elect to waive the cash incentive. For each associate who provides proof of vaccination and waives the incentive payment, the company plans to make a $600 donation to Feeding America. This vaccine incentive program applies to current associates who already received their vaccination, or associates who now choose to receive the vaccine.

Honda is working with Feeding America to support areas where associates work and live. A total of 27 foodbanks will receive donations on behalf of Honda. To date $228,000 has been committed to Feeding America as a result of this program.