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Cool Cars, Remarkable Kids

In case you missed it on Facebook, GM Financial team members brought dozens of remote control cars – miniature lookalikes of the ever-popular Chevrolet Corvette – to the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth. Just days before Christmas, the cars were delivered to the Santa Shop, where the kids could pick up their own cool car and take it out for a spin.

The effort supports the company’s Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids program, part of a larger Mobility Initiative.

Meeting a mobility need

When serious illness befalls a child, the fight for health may take a family far from home.

Driving to and from hospital visits, swinging by the store for groceries or even a trip to the zoo is no easy task – in fact, it’s often highly inconvenient if a family doesn’t have use of their own personal vehicle.

This specific need was the driving force behind GM Financial's collaboration with the Ronald McDonald House to launch Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids, a program that addresses the unique mobility challenges faced by children and youth across North America through the creative use of off-lease GM inventory.

The program’s first collaboration with Ronald McDonald House uses a limited number of off-lease vehicles to transport visiting sick children and their families who often do not have their own means of travel during their stay.

“The Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids program fulfills a basic need many of our families face during their stay at Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth,” says Jennifer Johns, CEO of Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth.

Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids was rolled out first to the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth, Texas, where GM Financial’s corporate headquarters is located. Based on the success of the Fort Worth pilot, plans to expand the program in targeted markets within the U.S. and Canada are currently underway for 2017.

More Cars, More Impact

In 2017, the program will be expanded to more than 30 Ronald McDonald House locations in Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Michigan, all states in which GM Financial maintains a significant commercial or employment presence.

In the long term, GM Financial and Ronald McDonald House will routinely assess the success of the collaboration and will give consideration to further expansion in targeted areas. This program has the potential to meaningfully impact the lives of thousands of children and their families within North America.

“Since our inception, GM Financial has taken an active role in improving communities and making them a better place in which to live and work. We are honored to build on this commitment right here in our own backyard through the launch of the Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids program in Fort Worth,” says Dan Berce, President and CEO of GM Financial. “This program presents an excellent opportunity to continue to positively impact lives through improved mobility options in North Texas, as well as across other markets in the U.S. and Canada in the coming years.”

Cool Cars for Remarkable Kids is a core component of GM Financial’s Mobility Initiative – a multifaceted effort aimed at creating opportunities for social, travel and financial mobility.

This initiative leverages the company’s proximity to – and engagement with – today’s consumer, as well as its financial services expertise and resources.

To learn more about the Mobility Initiative and view photos, videos and educational resources, visit the Mobility Initiative page.

By Taylor Crabtree, GM Financial

Taylor Crabtree likes to focus her writing talents on community engagement efforts. On the weekends, you’ll probably find her outside playing tennis or taking her Newfoundland for a car ride.