Ford Motor Company Fund is helping to build communities from Russia to India to China through a decade-long partnership with the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
Each year, The Ford Motor Company International Fellowship of the 92nd Street Y selects a group of community leaders from different parts of the world to participate in an intense three-week program focused on the challenges of community building. The 2010 fellows are educators and mentors, healthcare and social workers, engineers and students. They are attending classes and workshops in nonprofit management, finance, strategic planning and volunteer recruiting. Building partnerships with business and government is another focus of seminars held in New York City and Detroit.
Brinda Adige, a social worker in Bangalore, India, said, "This is a fantastic program. I didn’t realize that a company would invest money in a program like this, or that its employees would volunteer as Ford employees do. This has changed my ideas about companies. My next car will be a Ford!"
These Ford Fellows complete assignments before they arrive in New York to maximize the value of their fellowship experience. There is ongoing communication following the program to evaluate its impact and success. So far, 211 individuals from 57 countries have participated. The fellowship is in its 11th year and grew out of Ford's 20-year relationship with the 92nd Street Y.
