Safety Belt U.S.A. will receive a $25,000 grant to make a difference in the Pasadena community
Pasadena, CA (May 31, 2012) - After three weeks and more than 1.2 million votes, State Farm® is proud to announce SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.will receive a $25,000 grant to provide booster seat education to children in Pasadena, CA.The SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.proposal was one of 3,000 Cause submissions State Farm received through Cause An Effect, a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that relies on non-profit organizations to create solutions to community issues identified by Facebook users.
"We are delighted to have been awarded a grant through the Cause An Effect program” said Stephanie Tombrello, Executive Director of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A."Car crashes are the number 1 cause of death for children today, yet nine out of ten kids are not properly buckled up.Very few parents realize that most kids risk extremely serious injury in a crash if they aren’t using a booster seat until approximately age 10-12.This funding will allow us to bring this life-saving information to thousands of kids in Pasadena."
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 students, reviewed the 3,000 Cause submissions and helped State Farm select the top 100 finalists.State Farm then identified and paired nonprofits with each Cause; the affiliated nonprofits of the top 40 Causes will each receive a $25,000 grant to create and execute a plan to address the Cause.
Tombrello continued: "Of course we could not have been successful without the participation of our many supporters.We send our sincere thanks to all those who voted for us during the campaign and helped us achieve this great result."
From April 27 through May 17, the Facebook community was encouraged to visit the Cause An Effect app and vote for their favorite Cause.More than 38,000 people took to Facebook during the three week period; SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.received 17,941, the 25th most votes in the program.
"The considerable amount of votes SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.received shows the level of commitment and engagement within our community to solve local issues,” said Ed Reyes, State Farm Vice President of Agency. "We look forward to watching SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.and the Pasadena community come together to make their neighborhood safer, stronger, and better educated with the help of Cause An Effect.”
For a complete list of the top 40 Causes or for more information about Cause An Effect, visit the State Farm Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/statefarm).
Eddie C.Martinez, Media Relations (310) 560-6690
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada who serve a two-year term.Their directive is to implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to youth and communities.The Board is completely autonomous and youth-driven, and funds projects focused on issues selected by the board that impact youth.It consists of a diverse group of full-time students at high schools and universities.Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the Board and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year.The Board will fund the 40 grants awarded through the Cause An Effect program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2012.For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmYouth Advisory Board.com.
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.is the national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children from deaths and injuries resulting from riding unrestrained in motor vehicles.Founded in 1980 by fifteen safety advocates in the Los Angeles area, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.is nationally recognized for technical expertise and program excellence.Active in obtaining regulatory changes for safety belts and safety seats as well as child passenger safety laws, the organization has been recognized by both government and corporate entities for service and achievements in the field.
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
