Toyota has teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to launch an education-supportive program, which will help fund youth education and improve high school graduation rates.

Photo: Toyota’s commitment, from bgca.org

Being a founding sponsor of D2D (Diplomas to Degrees), Toyota is providing a $1.5 million grant to the organization over three years. This money will support Boys & Girls Club teens with tools needed on the hard way of preparation to moving from high school to college graduation.

According to Toyota’s statistics, students who fail to graduate high school prepared to obtain a postsecondary education are “less likely to gain full access to the country’s economic, political and social opportunities”. To help resolve this problem, Toyota and BGCA will provide the needed support.

The D2D—Diplomas to Degrees program is aimed to help students develop short and long-term goals, introduce the college lifestyle to them, help pursue financial assistance and more. The program debuted in ten cities over the past year and now be available in more than 1,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the US.

«Toyota is committed to helping improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work,» said Mike Groff, vice president, Sales, Marketing and Product Planning, Toyota Financial Services. «Our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs is an extension of our focus on education and a key component of the new D2D program is engaging our associates to volunteer as mentors and college coaches through their local Clubs.  The ultimate goal of this program is to increase the number of youth who graduate from high school and enroll in a college, university or other postsecondary institution.»

Additionally, more than 225 Boys & Girls Club alumni and staff received close to $1 million in academic scholarships provided by Toyota. The automaker has also supported thousands of middle and high school youth with mentorships, internships and financial or career programs.

Last month, Toyota kicked off the Spring Greening Challenge.