FCA Canada: Third Annual Ram Tough Truck Pull for Windsor-Essex United Way Sponsored by The FCA Foundation Sets Donation of Nearly $44,000

• For the third straight year, The #fca Foundation served as proud supporter of United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County for the Ram Tough #truck Pull, held along the banks of the Detroit River in front of #fca Canada’s Windsor, Ontario, headquarters
• Participants (270) pulled an #fca Auto Transport Carrier loaded with Ram trucks weighing nearly 80,000 pounds a distance of 50 feet, down Riverside Drive
• Estimated amount of nearly $44,000 and counting raised will help support the United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County
• Second-time champion LiUNA Local 625, which pulled the #truck in the shortest time, awarded prestigious “Guts, Glory, Ram” Cup and VIP suite experience to upcoming Windsor Spitfires game

September 20, 2015 , Windsor, Ontario - Today, along the banks of the Detroit River and in front of cheering spectators, 270 competitors took to Riverside Drive in front of #fca Canada’s Windsor headquarters to prove that they were “Ram Tough” during the third annual Ram Tough #truck Pull for United Way sponsored by The #fca Foundation.
 
Ram #truck, Canada’s longest-lasting line of pickups, doesn’t back down when the going gets tough and neither did today’s participants, who were up to the challenge of hauling an #fca Auto Transport Carrier loaded with six Ram 1500 pickup trucks, and weighing nearly 80,000 lbs., a distance of 50 ft., in the shortest amount of time. New for this year’s event was a designated fan cheer-zone and kids’ zone, which included stadium-style seating, giving spectators of all ages a chance to get up close and take in the action.
 
Just like Ram trucks dominate the market with class-exclusive and award-winning features, the 2015 Ram Tough #truck Pull championship team LiUNA (Labourers' International Union of North America) Local 625 – also the 2013 champions - set themselves apart with a timed pull of 40.36 seconds. They were awarded the “Guts, Glory, Ram” Cup and also a VIP suite at an upcoming Windsor Spitfires OHL game and an autographed jersey.
 
Today’s event cumulated with a donation total of nearly $44,000 and counting that benefits the United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County as part of their annual fundraising campaign. Since the Ram Tough #truck Pull’s inception in 2013, the event has generated more than $104,000 toward local outreach programs.
 
The funds raised by the Ram Tough #truck Pull will help United Way in taking bold action against poverty across Windsor and Essex County. Poverty affects more than one in five people in our community. In fact, more than 42 per cent of single mothers in Windsor-Essex County are living in poverty, as well as one in four kids. Supporting United Way ensures that people in our local community have access to support to create possibility, including but not limited to healthy and fresh food so kids and families don’t go hungry; emergency assistance to help people get through tough times when there’s nowhere else to turn; after-school programs to give kids a safe place to go and get homework help; programs that help kids graduate through mentorship and support; and counselling programs that reduce stress for parents.
 
“Our Ram trucks set the benchmark in towing and payload capabilities, which is why the coveted Guts, Glory, Ram Cup awarded to the winning team today is a badge of honour that symbolizes the team effort and strength required to get a tough job done,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, #fca #canada. “This is our third year sponsoring the Ram Tough #truck Pull through The #fca Foundation. By underwriting the cost of the event sponsorship for United Way, 100 per cent of the funds collected here today are used to help those in need in Windsor-Essex.”
 
“The Ram Tough #truck Pull for United Way continues to be one of our most exciting events, bringing together hundreds of participants and spectators,” said Lorraine Goddard, CEO, United Way. “We’re grateful to The #fca Foundation for their continued support, and we're overwhelmed by the support of our #truck pull teams. One in five people in Windsor-Essex County live in poverty. By supporting United Way, you’re taking bold action against poverty in our local community.”
 
FCA #canada and United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County have a strong history of working together to give back to the local community. Last month, FCA’s Windsor Assembly Plant partnered with the United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County to help less fortunate families get ready for back-to-school. In only three days, employees at the award-winning plant raised more than $6,000 for new school supplies, which filled backpacks with paper, binders, markers, pencils, pens and other learning tools for kids participating in United Way Centraide’s summer lunch program.
 
Over the past five years, several #fca Community Action Days have been held locally, including clean-up projects on Windsor’s Drouillard Road, west end neighbourhoods and upgrades to the Gesstwood Retreat & Camp Centre in Essex, Ont., that involved hundreds of #fca #canada employees through FCA’s “Motor Citizens” volunteer program.
 
FCA #canada employees will also begin the annual internal United Way Fundraising Campaign in October. In 2014, more than $1.1 million was donated by employees and retirees in Windsor-Essex County – the largest amount in the region. Last year’s donation also marked #fca #canada employees’ 29th year of being a campaign giver in excess of $1 million.