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Honda to the rescue


Honda to the rescue

Author: Trent NikolicDate: 2 November 2011

The Honda Foundation has been around for some time and has done good things for the community. Now it's doing its bit to help disadvantaged youths learn how to drive.

In conjunction with Rex Gorell Honda, the Foundation has presented a new Honda Civic to child welfare organisation, MacKillop Family Services, for their ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program.

The reality is that disadvantaged kids don’t always share the same advantages in learning how to drive as the rest of us. That’s where this program comes in.

Living in residential or foster care, children may not have the same opportunities that children living with their families might have. Learning to drive provides an independence on which most people come to rely, and this typically starts with many hours behind the wheel of a parent’s car.

Chairman of The Honda Foundation, Lindsay Smalley, holds high regard for the program.

“We are pleased to be supporting a program that helps to develop independence in disadvantaged youth, and also teaches safety skills that make driving a positive experience.”

MacKillop Family Services was formed in 1997 as a re-founding of the earlier works carried out by its founding congregations. They are now one of the largest providers of support services to disadvantaged and vulnerable youth and their families.

The organisation provides over ninety services including the support of disadvantaged families, such as those raising a child with a disability, and youth education and training services.

Children who have been placed in residential or foster care and are approaching independent living, are given the means to learn a skill that many others take for granted.

The ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program was developed to equip young people in MacKillop’s care, with the driving skills they require to stay safe on the roads. The program provides the means for 14 youths to acquire their learners and probationary drivers' permits.

The Honda Foundation’s Honda Heroes program loan vehicles to charitable organisations in need. The nature of the program required an emphasis on safety and reliability when selecting a vehicle. Rex Gorell Honda was eager to jump on board and assist the ‘Learn Right, Drive Right’ program.

“This chance to support young people in the Barwon Community is really important for us,” said Brett Gorell.

“By learning how to drive and getting the important driving education they need, these young people will be safe and responsible on the road, and able to engage with the community through better access to employment and training opportunities,” said Bernard Lamb, Director of MacKillop’s Out-of-Home Care services.

The Honda Foundation aims to provide assistance to local communities and foster goodwill among Honda Australia, Honda Motor Vehicle Dealers and the public.

It draws funding from Honda Dealers and Honda Australia who donate $15 ($5 and $10 respectively) from every Honda car sold.

 

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