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Chevrolet India and OWFP donate 70 Nearly Indestructible Footballs to Gunjur School in Bangalore


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December 2 2013: Chevrolet India on Saturday donated 70 One World Futbols to Gunjur School as part of a larger Chevrolet and One World Futbol Project initiative to donate 20,000 nearly indestructible footballs to marginalized and underprivileged children in India. The unique initiative is aimed at reaching out to the less fortunate children in India, especially those who cannot afford and maintain a football.

“Many of these children are growing up in less privileged circumstances where sometimes a game of football could lighten up their lives by teaching them the true meaning of team spirit and fair play,” said Edward J Sizen, Vice President, Engineering and Operations, General Motors Technical Center India. “The joy that comes from playing football can help lift their spirits and replace despair with hope. Chevrolet’s founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project is intended to spark a worldwide movement to give children a pathway out of poverty and despair with the benefits that fitness, sport and teamwork can bring – something we call the ‘Power of Play’,” added Sizen.

The Chevrolet-branded One World Futbols, delivered to the school in a Chevrolet Enjoy multi-purpose vehicle, brought countless smiles to nearly 700 children who can now enjoy the game of football as much as they want.

With the corporate social responsibility mission of “Driving a Better Tomorrow,” Chevrolet India is working with One World Futbol Project to donate a total of at least 20,000 One World Futbols to disadvantaged children across the country. During the next few weeks, Chevrolet India plans to donate additional footballs in Talegaon and Halol, where its manufacturing facilities are located. As part of the unique initiative, Chevrolet India donated 91 footballs to Sankalp School in Gurgaon, Haryana — a school for disadvantaged children run by Gurgaon-based NGO Sankalp Welfare Society on 14 November, 2013.

The remaining Chevrolet-sponsored One World Futbols will be delivered through One World Futbol Project’s partner, Slum Soccer, to a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with underprivileged youth in India. Slum Soccer is an India-based NGO focused on reaching out to the Indian homeless using football as a tool for social improvement and empowerment.

This initiative is part of Chevrolet’s three-year founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project that pledges to place 1.5 million One World Futbols with youth living in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and other underprivileged communities around the world. One World Futbol Project makes, sells and distributes the One World Futbol, a nearly indestructible ball that never needs a pump and never goes flat – even when punctured multiple times, making it ideal for use in harsh environments. The company’s mission is to make a meaningful impact by bringing the joy of soccer and play to youth around the world through the One World Futbol. The One World Futbol Project distributes One World Futbols to organizations working with youth in disadvantaged communities, where play can be used to teach life skills and foster social change.

To date, more than 500,000 Chevrolet-sponsored One World Futbols have been distributed across five continents, bringing the power of play to over 17 million children.