3.6.2003
GM and Vauxhall support Russian children charities

Marking the final leg of a 15-day vintage racing car rally through Russia, His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent accepts a donation from GM and Vauxhall in support of two British charities working in Russia.

His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent met GM Russia representative Pawel Widel to receive a donation in the amount of $10,000 from the GM Corporation and Vauxhall Motors Ltd. The donation will be used to support two British charities working in Russia whose patron is Prince Michael, the Children's Fire and Burn Trust at the Speransky Hospital in Moscow and the St. Gregory's Orphanage Foundation in St. Petersburg.

The donation ceremony marks the last part of a 15-day vintage racing car rally through Russia, led by Prince Michael. The rally, an official event of the St. Petersburg Tercentenary celebrations, began on May 19, 2003, in Ekaterinburg and finishes in St. Petersburg on the morning of June 2, 2003.

The vehicles are open, four-seat touring cars constructed between 1920 and 1930 and include a 1926 Vauxhall 30/98 Tourer. In addition to celebrating St. Petersburg's illustrious 300-year history, the rally has also been set up by Prince Michael, a descendant of the Russian royal family and patron of several Russian charities, in hope of raising awareness of the needs of disadvantaged children in Russia.

GM has a long history of making substantial and varied charitable contributions to deserving external organizations, bringing wide-ranging benefits to communities in need. These contributions reach their target group through two primary outlets, the GM Foundation and GM corporate contributions.

GM's philanthropic and corporate relations mission is to ensure that it maintains the leadership position as a valued, responsible corporate citizen by enhancing the quality of life in the communities where it does business, consistent with its corporate goals and objectives. GM ranks among the world's top corporations in philanthropy. In 2002, the combined worldwide contributions of GM and the GM Foundation were more than $82 million.