Genesis Gives: When Car companies do good things
Photography by Ryan Miller.
On a brilliant, bright June day at Drexel Elementary School school was out for the summer, but a group gathered to plan a celebration. The occasion was the ribbon cutting and official opening of a brand-new mini soccer pitch on the Cicero, Illinois school grounds.The pitch is part of U.S Soccer Foundation’s Safe Places to Play program built in partnership with Genesis Gives and the Major League Soccer Players Association. The timing, just ahead of World Cup fever, added to the sense of occasion. To date, Genesis and U.S. Soccer have built 850 mini-pitches across the country.The school principal told me how the kids had clamored to get out and play.
I visited the Chicago area to check out how one car company invests back into community — a feel good excursion. As a global corporation Hyundai Motor Group makes over 7 million vehicles every year and employees about 250,000 people around the world. Each of its brands has its own footprint in corporate social responsibility focused on regional impact. In the US, the luxury brand Genesis has a growing presence at 190 dealers and a hub in New York City at the Genesis House.To deepen Genesis’s social impact arm, the company created Genesis Gives, a multiple-pronged community-based initiative focused on youth sports, steam programs, the arts, and sustainability. Over the past four years, Genesis has donated over $2 million to under-resourced communities focusing on these core areas.
Later in the afternoon, I traveled across town to the True Value Boys & Girls Club. When I pulled up, I saw a crisp white Genesis GV60 parked in front of the building. Brandon Ramirez, the North American Genesis director of corporate social responsibility, greeted me in a classroom filled with young students. Ramirez and his small team work closely with the organizations on the ground in communities. The team was also responsible for overseeing the soccer pitch. Ramirez’s enthusiasm for the community-based work was infectious.
Ramirez led a hands-on workshop for about about 30 students that drew from his experience as a former automotive product planner for Hyundai. The presentation drew oohs and ahhs from the kids when he showed the most futuristic looking Genesis vehicles.
The steam activity was part creativity, part science, and part career day. “What is a vehicle?” Ramirez asked the group along with other prompts “what are the different ways to power a vehicle?” and “what is the first step in a new model?” The kids shouted out answers with enthusiasm. He explained the steps to plan and design a new vehicle. “A group called product planning develops a blueprint,” he said.”Once a blueprint is approved it is sent to the designers.”
On a projected screen, he showed kids imagery of clay models of the Magma Genesis concept vehicle.The kids wanted to know if the sharp images on the screen were AI-based. “Is that the new generation Bugatti?” one student inquired. Then Ramirez set the students off on their mission: to dream up their own concept vehicle using upcycled materials kits provided by Genesis. Before they dove into their creations, he invited the kids outside for an in-car demo to show off the GV60’s features.The students oggled over the crystal gear shifter and assisted driving tech demos.
Genesis expanded its impact-based work in Chicago with another announcement during my stay. Creative Netwerk, a nonprofit focused on promoting unity, empowerment, and healing through the arts, is the recipient of a $25,000 donation from the Genesis Inspiration Foundation. The foundation identifies community-focused non profits that focus on the arts and steam education.The foundation also recently made a $50,000 donation to Alabama State University to support STEM scholarships and summer programming and another $25,000 grant to Junior Players and North Texas Performing Arts to support youth arts education.