Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. Pledges $2.5 Million to Los Angeles Urban League's Neighborhood Revitalization Effort

Blair H. Taylor, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League announced today the pledge of $2.5 million by Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA Inc. to the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative which is a part of the League’s new five-year Strategic Plan. The announcement came with Toyota’s presentation of a $500,000 check for 2007 to the League. This is the first multi-million dollar corporate donation to the neighborhood change strategy which was approved by the Los Angeles Urban League Board of Directors in late 2006. “This is another outstanding show of long-term support for our community and Toyota is to be commended,” said Taylor. “Toyota Motors Sales, USA Inc. is a longstanding, committed partner. With this pledge of support and check for 2007, Toyota has reaffirmed its steadfast belief in the viability and potential of the underserved communities in South Los Angeles and they continue to stand with us as we undertake the revitalization of the neighborhoods surrounding Crenshaw High School.” “Toyota is wholly committed to the South Los Angeles community. We are confident that under the leadership of the Los Angeles Urban League, along with the support of leading civic and community partners, the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative will have a lasting and positive impact for years to come,” said Toyota Group Vice President and LAUL Board Chairman Irving A. Miller. ‘Toyota is honored to be counted among the supporters of this vital initiative and we encourage other businesses and corporations to get involved in this movement.”

In August 2006, the Board of Directors of the League unanimously approved a five-year strategic plan for the revitalization of the South Los Angeles area surrounding Crenshaw High School. The Park Mesa Heights 70-block neighborhood initiative will coordinate the different efforts underway in the area by combining forces of change in the community to yield an intensified focus on five pivotal areas - education, employment, safety, housing and health. The overreaching goal is to deliver a replicable model for systemic change with a change agent – Los Angeles Urban League - that is accountable in measurable terms for the revitalization effort. The Urban League has been working the past year with leading planning consultants, LAUSD, the Mayor’s Office, the Superintendent of Schools, Crenshaw High School, LAPD, the Office of the City Attorney, local and state elected officials, and many community groups and corporate partners to develop a strategic initiative to transform the community and uplift the educational profile at Crenshaw High School for the benefit of its students and the feeder schools. The League will continue to work closely with the community to refine and implement the plan.