More than 12,000 members of the Ford Volunteer Corps are going to tackle more than 200 community projects on six continents this week as part of the 2011 Ford Global Week of Caring.  With hammers and hoes, Ford employees and retirees are joining together with employees of Ford dealerships to make a difference during this annual event which runs through September 18.  The number of volunteers has grown from 1,200 to more than 12,000 during the past six years.

Projects will be done around the world from countries in Europe and Asia to Africa and the Americas.  A few of these projects include:

- Renovating schools, planting trees and cleaning up parks by 750 employees in South Africa

- Planting 1,500 tropical trees along roadways by 230 employees in Cambodia

- Collecting clothes and sanitary supplies for impoverished girls by 100 employees in Kenya

- Providing meals, clothing, and organizing medical checkups for orphans in India

- Collecting food and toiletries, and repairing nursery and social service offices in Brazil

- Installing playground equipment, distributing food, repairing schools and restoring environmentally-sensitive areas by more than thousand employees in the U.S.

“Ford volunteers are helping local communities provide the necessary services to bring comfort and relief to people in need,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.