Sponsors

We are supported by corporate sponsorships, individual donors and local foundations. We hope
to expand our donor family with the marketing and visibility our program naturally produces.
We have a great story to tell and we love to marry our students’ accomplishments to
corporate culture for the mutual benefit of the MINDDRIVE program and our corporate partners.

Trip Sponsors

  • hertz_03HertzHertz is proud to help sponsor the Mind Drive team on their latest adventure and pursuit of real-world education and sustainability best practices. At Hertz, we are working to enhance the communities we serve through volunteerism, philanthropy and provision of sustainable mobility options such as EVs and hybrids. Visit HertzLivingJourney.com to learn more about Hertz's sustainability and green fleet efforts.
  • bridgestone_03BridgestoneThey have provided wheels and tires along with their tire technology expertise from the very beginning of the Automotive Design Studio. They allowed us to use their Proving Grounds in Fort Stockton, Texas for 2 years in a row to analyze the efficiency of our car projects: Project Lola and Project Lotus. They’ve treated our students to an Indy event at the Kansas Speedway, hosted our car in their trade show booth in Gasoline Alley during the Indianapolis 500 events of 2010 and 2011, and their friendship is invaluable to us!
  • sonic_03Sonic America's Drive InSONIC®, America's Drive-In®, is committed to supporting education
    initiatives that encourage learning through creative and engaging
    activities while inspiring enthusiasm in students and their teachers.
  • kcpl_03KCP&LTheir sponsorship to support the MINDDRIVE program means a lot because it isn’t simply them giving us money. They’ve become a partner in our success, providing ideas, mentors, board involvement, and exposure to the great events they’ve been involved in around the city. Our students learn what it means to provide alternative, clean fuel, not only for their cars, but for our city and that’s a great lesson for us all!
  • sponsor_autodealers_bwAUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER KANSAS CITYWe’ve been the recipient of grants for the past 3 years and are very excited for the partnership with this relevant group! They host us annually at the Kansas City International Auto Show, which is a wonderful opportunity for our students to present their car projects to the public. We appreciate the exposure! They have also provided the space for our annual Fundraising events, “Paving The Way” which take place in conjunction with the events of the Auto Show, giving free admittance to those attending our event.
  • asme_logoASMEAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers Foundation has provided grants for our students for the past 2 years. Their assistance helps cover some of the costs associated with producing our classes, purchasing our cars, and providing technological advice and mentorship to our MINDDRIVE group. We are looking forward to a long relationship with this group!
  • vmllogoVMLThere are wonderful, caring people that work at VML Advertising and a group of them got together to help us with our live webpage for the Coast To Coast trip. They worked long hours during their own personal time to get it done and we are so grateful. Now, we’ve identified a few mentors from their staff of creative, generous people!

Major Donors

  • AmericoMichael Merriman witnessed the students in action during our annual “Paving The Way” fundraiser when they completely assembled our media darling, Project Lola, from wheels and tires, to rear suspension to adding the body – all in about 6 minutes. What a team! Thanks for recognizing the talents of the students in the Automotive Design Studio!
  • The Crosby Kemper FoundationIt means a lot when a fairly young organization can attract the interest of a foundation with the stature of The Crosby Kemper Foundation. We are very grateful for the members of the Board of Directors who said YES in such a meaningful way. Thank you!
  • Rick CrouchA long-time “car guy”, Rick has been a friend of MINDDRIVE since Day One. He and founder, Steve Rees, are cut from the same cloth and love to push the envelope, not only in terms of what a car is able to do, but also in designing a sustainable life for our students. Thank you Rick!
  • The Karbank Family FoundationWe have an incredible building with classroom space and workshop space for a beautiful, affordable price. We are so grateful!
  • Kirk FoundationSteady and consistent. The Kirk Foundation has been generous and consistent because they believe in making a difference in the way students learn and retain the science, math, and technology that will lead us into the future. They have stepped up and said they believe in these students, and what could be more powerful than that!? Phil Kirk has become our greatest Ambassador and is often seen down at the shop on Saturday with a friend or two that he wants to introduce to the students. He’s the first customer for our “kit car” project for 2013 and we are excited for him to be driving our newly designed, prefabricated and modernized, all-electric Karmann Ghia!
  • Shirley & Barnett Helzberg FoundationIt’s a natural fit for the Helzberg’s since many of our students come to our program from the Charter School they co-founded, University Academy. Barnett comes to the shop and stands in amazement of all they are accomplishing and asks each student what they are working toward. He’s mentoring; imagine that!
  • Tom McDonnell FoundationTom McDonnell has been a key sponsor to the MINDDRIVE program and we share his passion for enhancing education for today’s youth. The Foundation’s generous contributions have made a huge difference in the development of what MINDDRIVE can be, helping us to expand our services and reach more students. We are so honored to be on their roster of support and look forward to a continuous dialog about innovation.

Donors

  • Applebee'sIt was so great having the Applebee’s Franchisee’s step up to the plate at various stops along our Coast To Coast journey in the summer of 2012. They’ve stepped up in a more substantial way by becoming an on-going partner to MINDDRIVE and we appreciate them 100%! They are now contributing lunch for our class sessions once per month and it’s an enormous burden lifted!
  • Bob Hindson RacingAaron Holstrom provided the class with a “working bay” at his shop on Holmes – it was the perfect location and served us well until we could find a more permanent solution. Thank you!
  • Clinical Reference LaboratoryCommitted to innovation, discovery and forward thinking, we appreciate the contributions from this great company, located in the southern suburb of Kansas City. Although distant physically, they have made the close connection to the future of our students with their generous contribution, leading the way for more corporate citizens of Kansas City. We appreciate them!
  • Common Sense FundWe love this organization, which is driven to support environmental efforts that move us forward toward a more sustainable future without depleting our earth’s resources. Thank you for believing in these students as the future innovators who will help us transition to alternative-fueled vehicles.
  • Cosentino'sBrookside Market – We are working with the Catering team at Cosentino’s to provide lunch for our students and mentors one time every other month. They also have kept us supplied in coffee and gatorade for our thirsty students and mentors! Thank you – we particularly love that you are also willing to deliver the food to us – it take a huge burden off our shoulders. Yay!
  • DeVry UniversityThey were updating some of their computers and donated 6 PC desktop computers to the students of MINDDRIVE.DeVry has been able to provide scholarships for a few of our students who are not represented by one of our sponsoring schools, which we appreciate!
  • EmfluenceOur social media strategic partner, Emfluence, also provided us with design and development of our branded email platform, which enables us to communicate wih our interested friends and colleagues on a regular basis, and utilize our social media tools to the best of our ability.
  • General Mill Machine ShopThis group has provided machining when we’ve needed it in a timely fashion and a smile on their faces. Thank you!
  • J.B. Hodgdon FoundationWe are grateful for finding the link between the love of cars and innovation to the education of high school students, sending them on a better path toward their future. We appreciate all that J.B. and Anne Hodgdon have done for the MINDDRIVE students. They fully embody the concept of “it takes a community” to help these students! Thank you!
  • Kansas City Missouri Police DepartmentThey have provided assistance to our students in learning what they need to pass the Driver’s Permit test and will continue to help us train our students to be safe drivers. We’ve also had the privilege to use their training track facility to test the efficiency of our cars at the preliminary stage of getting them first out on the road – safely. Thank you!
  • Succotash RestaurantGenerous, hearty, and healthy HOT lunches have been provided by Beth Barden, owner of Succotash and our neighbor to the North. Sending our students home with a full belly is a huge benefit as nutrition is a key component to successful learning. Beth provides lunch to us once per month as a trade for using our parking lot for her customers during the weekdays. It’s a great partnership!
  • Jim VaughnJim has been instrumental in keeping the focus of the program on the KIDS! Yes, we make cars, but our purpose is to have a positive impact on the education of our students, getting them jazzed about learning in a new and innovative way. With him’s financial support, we are able to enjoy a comfortable classroom and shop space, ever expanding and reaching more students. Thank you, Jim!
  • Warehouse OneMary Lou Jacoby has provided MINDDRIVE with just about every surface, storage unit, trash can, desk, chair, work bench and more. We had about 4,000 square feet of empty space from the Karbank family and with the generous donation of Warehouse One, we were able to build a shop that would be enviable of any car enthusiast.
  • Waterford PropertiesNed O’Connor supports the program through his company, Waterford Properties which is a commercial real estate company that is actively involved in the urban core of Kansas City.