• Ford Fund pledges $250,000 to the construction of a new Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center in Ferndale, Mich.
• The organization plans to break ground on the estimated $5.3 million facility in the spring of this year. Spokespeople for Affirmations organization say the new center will be open to the public in early 2006.

FERNDALE, Mich., Feb. 1 - Ford Motor Company Fund today pledged $250,000 to the Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center. The campaign will finance a new community center in downtown Ferndale, Mich.

Ford's grant is among the largest donations ever made from a Fortune 500 company to a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organization. This donation represents another part of Ford Fund's tireless commitment to support organizations that improve opportunities for those who live in the communities where Ford Motor Company does business. The gift, along with similar contributions from other automotive manufacturers, will bolster Affirmations' efforts to raise $5.3 million to complete the facility.

"Ford is proud to support Affirmations and its partners," said Ford Motor Company Fund President Sandra Ulsh. "The new center will serve as a cornerstone for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the state of Michigan. It will be a place to build and nurture a more inclusive and respectful society." The campaign's top gift of $500,000 came from Allan Gilmour, former vice chairman of Ford Motor Company, and Eric Jirgens head of Eric Charles Designs, of Birmingham, Michigan. As top donors they will also serve as co-chairs for the campaign.

Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, based in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, has been in operation since 1989 and provides a variety of programs, services and social opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals residing in Southeastern Michigan. Affirmations' mission is to provide a welcoming place to every day people where they can have fun, learn, socialize, grow, be supported and find acceptance.

• Mar. 27 - Ford Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees (GLOBE) co-founder Alice McKeage received the Affirmations GLBT Community Center Jan Stevenson Award for her contributions to the center and to the GLBT community.
• Apr. 23 - Members of Ford GLOBE host a Build-A-Bear event and donate teddy bears to Detroit Hispanic Development Corp to distribute to children who have been displaced or are in need of childhood development.
• Apr. 27 - Volvo Cars of North America, LLC received the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) David Ogilvy Award for its campaign targeting GLBT consumers.
• May 28 - GLOBE Chair, Suzanne Wait was named Volunteer of the Year by the 2004 GLBT Pride Banquet Nominating Committee.
• June 7 - Diversity Inc. announced that Ford Motor Company placed among the "Top 10 Companies for GLBT Employees".
• July 1 - Ford Motor Company added "Gender Identity" as a category that is protected against discrimination, to Corporate Policy Letters 2 and 6. Ford is the first of the Big-3 automotive companies to take this step.
• Sept. 14 - Ford GLOBE hosted a reception celebrating the 10th Anniversary of its formal recognition as a Ford Motor Company Employee Resource Group.
• Sept. 28 - Ford obtained a 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. Ford is the only automaker and the largest corporation to get this score. The Corporate Equality Index is a systematic review of how America's largest companies treat their lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors.
• Oct. 2 - Ford GLOBE Hourly Outreach Liaison, Bob Burrell was awarded the 2004 Out & Equal Trailblazer Award.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 327,000 employees worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and The Hertz Corporation.