PORTRAITS OF HOPE AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY ANNOUNCE FINAL WEEKEND FOR PUBLIC TO TAKE PART IN LIFEGUARD TOWER PAINTING PROJECT FOR LOS ANGELES BEACHES
- Largest public arts project underway in the United States will cover more than 150 lifeguard towers and span 31 miles of Southern California coastline
- Portraits of Hope benefits young people facing medical, physical and socio-economic challenges
- Ford is partnering with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors and County Lifeguards on the program that began in January 2010
- Event takes place Saturday, April 24, at South Bay Ford in Hawthorne, California
LOS ANGELES, Ca., April 22, 2010 – Portraits of Hope and Ford Motor Company have announced the final weekend public painting session for the largest public arts project in the U.S., and one of the most extensive civic efforts anywhere in the country, to be held at South Bay Ford at 5100 W. Rosecrans Ave. in Hawthorne, California on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Nearing the end of a four-month process, Saturday is the last weekend panel-painting opportunity for members of the Los Angeles community and beyond to make their mark on this iconic beach beautification project that will cover all 150 lifeguard towers and 31 miles of beaches starting the first week of May.
As partners in the Portraits of Hope project, Ford Motor Company, along with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors and County Lifeguards, have held painting sessions with young people facing medical, physical and socio-economic challenges since January of this year. Portraits of Hope has served over 6,000 youth volunteer artists, 118 schools, hospitals and youth oriented programs since the project began.
All have come together through painting sessions to help transform the Los Angeles coastline, while also receiving important civic education and engagement with the visual and healing arts. During the April 24 session, a group from Lucille Smith Elementary School will be among the volunteer artists, joining uniformed LA County Lifeguards among others. Specially wrapped Portraits of Hope hybrid vehicles will be on display along with a Lifeguard Ford Escape hybrid.
During the painting workshops, education sessions were given on a multitude of topics including the environment – a subject that has resonated with both the Lifeguards and Ford Motor Company. Working together, Ford enabled the L.A. County Lifeguards to become the first and largest public safety organization in the country to go fully hybrid in 2008. Since implementing its hybrid fleet, the Lifeguards have saved over 20,000 gallons of gasoline and through Portraits of Hope the message of sustainability is being carried further.
Previous Portraits of Hope Projects have included diverse formats ranging from blimps, buildings, and the New York City taxi fleet, to NASCAR racecars, tugboats, and vintage airplanes. The group’s efforts have received national and international attention.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
