HONDA The Power of Dreams

For over 30 years, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) has supported the success and dreams of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students through initiatives including the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge and Honda Battle of the Bands. These programs provide unforgettable experiences and opportunities for HBCU students, including meeting and networking with peers from other HBCU schools.

AHM has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 students and in FY2023, awarded more than USD 450,000 (over USD 14 million to date) in grants in support of HBCU education programs and facilities improvements.

AHM also has partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to provide annual scholarship funding to support HBCU students pursuing an education in engineering, supply chain management and manufacturing-related fields.

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 the center 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.

Earth Rangers is an environmental conservation organization for children, with over 325,000 members across Canada. Earth Rangers is committed to educating children about biodiversity and sustainable behaviors to empower them to protect animals and their habitats. 2023 is the 10-year anniversary of this partnership, and during this time it has grown from a local community initiative to reaching 645 schools and over 160,000 students across Canada.

Honda Canada Foundation supports the Earth Rangers School Assembly program, designed to bring environmental education programming directly to students and teachers. 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 kids can understand. The program not only teaches children about the environmental issues our planet is facing — they empower 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 excited about helping the environment can feel confident that they can contribute directly to positive changes.

The Honda USA Foundation provides support to the Ohio Energy Project (OEP). OEP's E3 (Energy, Efficiency, Environment) program illuminates energy impacts for elementary teachers, learners, and their communities. This is done through a STEAM-based, standards-aligned curriculum designed to apply textbook energy and environmental concepts to real-world experiences.

The Foundation’s contribution supports elementary teachers and students throughout Ohio engaging in opportunities to learn about energy and environmental issues through hands-on training sessions and a comprehensive curriculum consisting of lesson plans, background information-sharing, and access to career connections and classroom lab equipment. In the classroom, students learn all about energy and environmental science, efficiency principles, and conservation practices through hands-on lab work and activities designed to promote teamwork, develop critical thinking, and spark curiosity for a lifetime of sustainable learning.

This contribution also provides students a conservation kit with a full set of energy-saving measures that encourage and reinforce conservation and environmental sustainability. Students are able to put their knowledge to the test at home, teaching their families and communities about the importance of energy efficiency and its connection to the world around them. Through the effective use of this conservation kit and other tools provided for their at-home activities, the students are empowered to broaden their perspective about the environment and solutions to mitigate energy impacts in their communities.

This well-organized learning experience helps promote their energy literacy, environmental awareness, and understanding of conservation strategies in school, at home, and in communities where Ohioans live, learn, and play. With study programs and activities focusing on energy and its connection to water, air and land pollution, scarcity of natural resources, climate change, and ecosystem disruption, OEP aims to not only educate learners about energy’s role in our environment but also equip them with the tools and strategies they need to take control of their energy footprint and make a difference in their communities through the in-depth knowledge they acquire about the very real and far-reaching environmental impacts of energy sourcing, transportation, and usage.

ThinkFirst For Kids, ThinkFirst For Youth, and ThinkFirst for Your Baby are evidence-based educational programs aimed at promoting vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian safety for children as early as newly-born up to 8th graders.

ThinkFirst For Kids is a program developed through a collaborative effort by ThinkFirst, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The goal of this program is to provide small children the opportunities to gain deep knowledge and strengthen their awareness about the causes and risk factors of brain/spinal cord injury, measures to prevent them from getting injured, and the importance of practicing safety habits from an early age.

ThinkFirst For Youth is a program designed specifically for students in grades 4th through 8th. The curriculum includes lessons on the brain and spinal cord, guidance on vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle and sports safety, and exercises aimed at building their communication and conflict resolution skills, increasing their self-confidence and enhancing their ability to make safe choices when on their own or in the face of peer pressure.
ThinkFirst For Your Baby is a program designed specifically for new or expectant parents, grandparents, or other caregivers to provide guidance on street and pedestrian safety while walking with babies and young children, the proactive use of baby and infant safety seats, and precautions to ensure safe driving of vehicles when riding together with them, including a one-hour presentation by a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician/Instructor.

Honda USA Foundation's contribution supports the updating of the curriculum for these programs which includes renewing images, messaging, and translations into Spanish and Navajo of texts that are currently available in English and French. The contribution also provides funds for activities and tools for promoting engagement and platform usability. These updated curriculum and program materials are available to all ThinkFirst chapters throughout the United States and will be used to provide presentations and education free of charge. There will also be videos and interactive games available on the ThinkFirst website for public use.

Honda provides more than USD 2 million in financial support for 25 organizations across the United States that focus on teen driver safety. These grants support a wide variety of initiatives aimed at young drivers in the areas of education, training and resources that supplement or go beyond traditional driver’s training courses or mandated state driver’s programs.

With nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25, Honda invited organizations to propose ideas to improve teen safety during the National Teen Driver Safety Week in October 2021. Ultimately, Honda selected 25 organizations acknowledged to be working actively on the strengthening of driver education and safety awareness in their communities as the beneficiaries of Honda’s funding support.

The teen driver safety initiative builds on Honda’s longstanding “Safety for Everyone” approach, a commitment to advance safety for everyone sharing the road. Honda also has added information on teen safety to the safety education section of its consumer website.

The awardees include:
- Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation which invests in public service announcements to appeal to teens' caring and community responsibility to discourage distracted driving;
- Croom Foundation - Elevating Individuals Through Excellence (ELITE) program which includes the development of a curriculum focused on teen driver safety and the materials to educate the teenagers about the key points to keep in mind from before they receive the driving permit to after they become a driver’s license holder;
- Daybreak, Inc. which provides services to assist homeless youth wanting to get their driving permit and license issued;
- DCCCA, Inc. for their Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) program to decrease the number of teen injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes;
- Financial Beginnings California which educates youth on personal and financial risks of automobile ownership;
- Heart of Unlimited Boundaries, Inc. which works with a licensed occupational therapist to formalize a comprehensive assessment tool for pre-permit students with autism;
- Safe Kids Worldwide which partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to enhance awareness of driver safety messages and promote behavior change amongst teens;
- SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. which implements a digital educational program across Department of Motor Vehicles offices in California with training, presentations and outreach to reduce harm to children from impaired drivers.

Honda launched the #TeamHondaCares campaign to further strengthen its support of the communities where we live and work. #TeamHondaCares focuses on impacting communities, highlighting community partners and encouraging associates to get involved through company-organized opportunities; and celebrates the way the associates, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation give back and engage with communities year-round.

During its first year, #TeamHondaCares:
-Designated funds for associates to donate to eligible organizations of their choice in our communities
1,153 associates participated and over USD 23,000 was donated to eligible organizations that they have chosen.

-Hosted a virtual speaker series with Honda and Honda USA Foundation leaders and community partners focused on Honda's five strategic CSR pillars: (1) Education - COSI, (2) Mobility - Camp Cole, James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association and Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Foundation, Inc., (3) Environment - National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and GrowingGreat, (4) Traffic Safety - Safe Kids Worldwide, and (5) Community - National Diversity Council
11 sessions were held with 8 community partners and 203 associates attended.

-During the same week when the speaker series took place, associates volunteered over 800 hours in 18 community efforts at several locations, including the activities that led to:
65 volunteers
317 participants at Pride Parade
Over 3,500 food items collected
85 hygiene kits assembled at associates‘ homes

Honda Canada Foundation supports the annual Back-to-School supplies drive for students in need across Canada by ensuring they have access to the supplies they require for a successful school year via local community partners including:
Parker Street Food & Furniture Bank; Action Nouvelle Vie; Stephen’s Backpacks Society; The Salvation Army; Parents Engage in Education

As a part of its annual holiday campaign, Honda Canada Foundation also helps ensure families in need have healthy food, necessities and the little luxuries we all enjoy during the holiday season by making donations to local food banks and charity organizations that include:
CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish; Holiday Helpers; Adsum for Women; La Grande Guignolée des Médias Rive-Sud; YMCA Greater Vancouver; FAMILY SERVICES OF GREATER VANCOUVER; WOMEN'S CENTRE OF YORK REGION; The Neighbourhood Group; Niagara Foundation for FACS