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If you drive a New Toyota Vehicle from DELLA Toyota in Plattsburgh, you know that every comfort, safety, and entertainment feature in your Toyota is built with you and your family in mind. Toyota has always been committed to keeping your family healthy and happy, and this is especially evident when looking at their partnership with the National Center for Families Learning. The Toyota corporation and this non-profit created the Toyota Family Literacy Program in 1991 to help families fight back against poverty by offering education courses and teaching them the valuable life skills they need to succeed. 25 years later, Toyota has invested more than $46 million in the Toyota Family Literacy Program. It has expanded to 286 sites in 31 states and 56 communities all over the country. See some of the amazing results the program has produced over the years below: 47 percent upgraded skills to keep current job 79 percent improved their English skills 28 percent obtained the knowledge necessary to pass the U.S. citizenship test 40 percent got a better job 29 percent earned a GED certificate or high school equivalency Watch the video above to meet some of the families that Toyota has helped over the years. "25-Year Game Changer: Toyota, NCFL Pioneer Family Literacy Initiative | Corporate." 25-Year Game Changer: Toyota, NCFL Pioneer Family Literacy Initiative | Corporate. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. < http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-ncfl-25-year-partnership-family-literacy.htm >.

Recently, Toyota asked the world to band together to help raise money for the United Way. United Way is a global non-profit organization that helps to implement lasting positive changes in communities. Whether they are creating opportunities or educating people, United Way’s focus is on income, health, and education. To help raise money for the organization, Toyota pledged to donate $20 every time someone used the #LetsJoinHands hashtag on social media. All in all, Toyota donated a whopping quarter of a million dollars to the cause. Watch the video above for some of the submissions and make sure to look at the United Way website for more information on how you can contribute.

“It’s critical to foster innovative thinking at a young age,” said Toyota Technical Center Senior Vice President Jeff Makarewicz. “Developing that interest early on can create great opportunities not only for students, but for the industry as well. We’re excited to make this donation, and for our continued partnership with the Michigan Science Center (MiSci).” The donation that Makarewicz is referring to above is in the amount of $1.44 million and is especially helpful in light of the area’s continued shortage of STEM professionals. The donation will go towards the effort to expose area youth to science, technology, engineering, and math opportunities and the careers that are available in these fields. Specifically, some of the funds will upgrade the existing Toyota Engineering Theater (TET) which houses a unique 4D multimedia experience, and to help MiSci develop new programs and learning experiences for the public. “Toyota’s donation allows the Science Center to do more than just upgrade the TET. This is an opportunity for us to present STEM in a relatable and relevant way, while increasing student interest in STEM careers,” said Tonya Matthews, Michigan Science Center president and CEO. “This opportunity allows us to continue our mission of being a premier institute for STEM learning and experiences in Michigan.” "Engineers of Tomorrow: Toyota Helps Michigan Science Center ‘Catch ‘Em All’." Toyota USA Newsroom. Toyota, 21 July 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2016.

If you have or know a young person in school, you’ve probably heard of the focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in schools. This effort, known as STEM, is particularly important to the auto industry because, without those four subjects, there won’t be any advancements in the vehicles we drive, how they are made, or the infrastructure they drive on. Recently, there has been a cause for concern that the auto industry isn’t making the advancements it should be capable of making at this point in our history. To help preemptively fight this trend, Toyota is investing another one million dollars in the STEM program, this time in the form of a grant to Georgetown College. This amount is in addition to the 1.5 million that Toyota has already donated to the college, and it will directly support education programs for those who intend to become teachers in the STEM fields. “At Toyota, we believe investing in education is an investment in our future, for our community and our company,” said Wil James, president of TMMK. “Partnering with institutions like Georgetown College to advance STEM opportunities won’t just have an impact on how we make cars in the future; we believe it will help shape the future of mobility for our society.” So not only is this gift helping current students and teachers, it will also help the teachers and students of the future. Way to go Toyota! "Toyota Says Thanks a Million to Future STEM Scholars | Corporate." Toyota Says Thanks a Million to Future STEM Scholars | Corporate. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2016. <http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-million-stem-scholars-april29.htm>.