“We are extremely grateful to GM and the GM Foundation, the outstanding team at Barrett-Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Whited and all of our supporters for their incredible generosity,” - Lori Gatmaitan, Director of the SAE Foundation
Warrendale, PA (PRWEB) August 13, 2013
The SAE Foundation’s Annual Celebration, held May 22 in Warren, Mich., has raised nearly $500,000 thanks in part to the auction of the first production 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport, including a performance driving school package, donated by General Motors.
The vehicle went for $120,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Hot August Nights Car Auction in Reno, NV, August 9. The winning bid came from Tim and Pat Whited of Nederland, Colo. 100 percent of the auction’s proceeds, in addition to generous gifts from other sponsors, make up close to $500,000 raised-to-date. Donations benefit the SAE Foundation and will support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
The CTS Vsport is the first Cadillac model to offer an eight-speed automatic transmission. The car is built on the high-performance award-winning ATS architecture and is equipped with a Twin-Turbo V-6.
General Motors donated the Cadillac in May where Mary Barra, General Motors senior vice president, Global Product Development, was honored with the SAE Foundation’s 2013 Industry Leadership Award. Barra was the first woman recipient in the 25-year history of the award. This vehicle is part of GM’s on-going support of the SAE Foundation. GM has long sponsored the SAE Foundation’s STEM outreach programs. In addition to financial support from the GM Foundation, GM provides more than 1,500 mentors and volunteers who help reach nearly 85,000 students participating in SAE’s World in Motion K-12 programs.
“The SAE Foundation’s STEM educational programs are vital to ensuring we ignite the passion for math and science in young students who will be the future leaders of the automobile industry,” said Barra. “At a recent SAE a World in Motion third-grade skimmer project I was especially gratified to see students having so much fun applying key principles of math and science. So it is fitting to support SAE International’s programs by donating a vehicle that embodies what is possible when ingenuity meets engineering excellence.”
“We are extremely grateful to GM and the GM Foundation, the outstanding team at Barrett-Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Whited and all of our supporters for their incredible generosity,” said Lori Gatmaitan, Director of the SAE Foundation. “Collectively, they are helping to deliver quality STEM programming in the classroom and helping to ensure the next generation of professionals has the skills and education necessary to compete on a global basis.”
About General Motors Co.
General Motors Co. and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com/.
About the SAE Foundation
The SAE Foundation is the charitable arm of SAE International that strives to encourage and increase student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through educational programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™.SAE International is a global association of more than 133,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development.