Gulf States Toyota, one of the world’s largest distributors of Toyota vehicles and parts, has donated a dozen cars to a pair of school systems in Mississippi.
Lee County Schools and Pontotoc City Schools were the recipients of six Toyota Sienna vans each, gifted to the school systems on Friday. The vans will be used for small-group transportation, helping kids get to career readiness programs, afterschool STEM education, internships, tutoring, general enrichment programming, and math and science fairs.
The donation is in support of Toyota’s broader $110 million career readiness and community engagement initiatives called “Driving Possibilities.” Through the program, Toyota collaborates with educators, nonprofits, and communities to break down barriers to learning, strengthen professional development for teachers, and prepare student for the future workforce through the STEM-focused programming.
“Supporting our customers and the communities where we live and work is at the heart of GST’s mission,” said Eric Williams, president and general manager of Gulf States Toyota. “By helping to remove barriers like transportation, we are ensuring more students can access the critical STEM programs, internships, and learning experiences that will shape their future success.”
Last year, Toyota committed $5.8 million to be distributed over five years to Lee County and Pontotoc City Schools, two districts neighboring the Toyota plant in Blue Springs. Working with local education and community partners, the initiative identified critical needs to help close educational gaps. One of the most pressing needs identified was transportation, which resulted in the donation coming from Gulf States Toyota in partnership with Carlock Toyota of Tupelo.
“This fleet of Toyota Siennas is a truly a game-changer for our schools,” Toyota Mississippi Vice President of Manufacturing Aaron Foster said. “Having access to safe and efficient transportation opens up so many opportunities for schools to participate in programs they would otherwise be excluded from due to transportation barriers. We cannot thank Gulf States Toyota enough for the partnership to help our students go places – on the road and in life.”
