Mercedes in front seat on charity drive

Mercedes-Benz will organize a visit later this month to Ya'an, Sichuan province, to aid in projects that are repairing damage caused by the earthquake in April.

When the region was hit by a magnitude-7 earthquake on April 20, Beijing Benz Automotive Co Ltd and Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd immediately responded with a 20-million-yuan donation on the same day, the largest donation of any automaker in China.

BMBS and BBAC management teams, employees selected by a special competition, Star Ambassadors from NGO partners, dealers and customer representatives, as well as philanthropists will join with local residents and students in ground-breaking for some of the reconstruction projects in the area supported by Mercedes-Benz. The projects, approved after thorough field research, support the reconstruction of local panda sanctuaries and research centers, four township hospitals, a primary school, and villages that will demonstrate ecologically sustainable lifestyles.

Students of the school, now studying in temporary classrooms, rejoice at the news that Mercedes-Benz will help build a new, bigger school.

 

Protecting pandas

Part of the disaster area in Ya'an belongs to the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, a World Natural Heritage site.

A total of 3 million yuan will be used in the Mercedes-Benz Assistance Program dedicated to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an and Dujiangyan.

The two sites will each get 1.5 million yuan during the duration of the program from 2013 to 2015.

As part of the program, Mercedes-Benz will sponsor two more giant pandas.

The carmaker will also assist the Ya'an panda research center in rebuilding facilities damaged in the earthquake, and help build new roads, refurbish the panda habitat and playground, and purchase new training toys for the pandas.

The Happy Music Classroom Program has benefited more than 100,000 students in 29 provinces and autonomous regions.