Hummer 'Courageous Kids' program delivers child-sized Hummers to hospitals nationwide

Some medical workers and parents have found a ride in the Hummer toy is a great motivator during recovery as well. "I worked with one patient who used to take thirty minutes to swallow his medications," says Amanda Hays, Child Life manager at the Louisiana State University Health Services facility. "Now he takes them in about five minutes so that he can ride!"

Walsh says the results of a few local donations convinced Hummer to make the program available to dealerships around the U.S. "Once we heard about these favorable results we knew we needed to quickly expand the program so children's hospitals all around the country could use our toys to put smiles on the faces of their young patients and help lessen the stress and anxiety of their parents, too," noted Walsh. He expects many dealerships around the U.S. will soon be making the mini-Hummer donations to their local hospitals.

Hummer has a history of charitable giving, including the following:
* In 2005 Hummer and the GM Foundation announced they would provide the American Red Cross with 72 Hummer vehicles and $600,000 in cash over six years. The first vehicles were deployed in the Gulf States in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Red Cross Hummers were also instrumental in responding to floods in Orange County, NY and wildfires in San Bernardino County, CA last year.

* Hummer provided the state of Louisiana with 12 H3's, at their request, to aid local and state agency disaster response organizations in 2005 and 2006.

* Hummer is the only vehicle manufacturer to support the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) -- a non-profit organization committed to maintaining the world-famous Rubicon Trail in California. Hummer has donated funds, materials, and staff hours to the group's trail restoration projects.

* Hummer is a multi-year sponsor of the After-School All-Stars. Founded by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992, After-School All-Stars strives to keep kids safe and to help them achieve in school and in life. ASAS provides high quality, comprehensive after-school programs that emphasize pro-social activities, academic excellence, and enrichment opportunities. Nationwide, more than 60,000 high-risk youth benefit from these programs in 13 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, and South Florida.

* Since 2003, Hummer has provided a $100,000 annual endowment to Tread Lightly! as part of the Hummer Helps program. The annual endowment is administered as a grant-giving initiative to select outdoor enthusiast clubs who are Tread Lightly! members to sustain the lands where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy off-highway activities.

So, the $64,000 question remains: Can I have one to drive to my next dentist's visit?
Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor