Subaru of America: More Than a Car Company
More than a car company
Subaru of America is more than a car company. And that’s more than a slogan. The Camden-based company is guided by the 5 pillars of its Subaru Love Promise, a written pledge to make the world a better place. The promise not only fuels a companywide culture of giving, but it extends to supporting the communities where Subaru employees live and provide services – including Camden, where Subaru Loves Learning is helping students thrive.
“People think companies only give money for them to look good, but we want to make an impact,” says Shira Haaz, corporate responsibility manager at Subaru. “By supporting the community around us, we are also supporting our employees and our partners.”
Haaz manages the enormous task of deciding where – and how – the company will focus its Camden-area philanthropic efforts. In addition to planning volunteer days for employees, she focuses on the strategy where Subaru will direct monetary donations, whether that’s through sponsorships, grants or scholarships. “It’s a skill to choose the best organizations to work with and donate to,” Haaz says. “I’m constantly humbled by what I learn.”
“Some people think that we can sponsor one event and solve a problem, but it’s about the long-term vision and building relationships to continue to lift the communities around us.”
At the beginning of this school year, Haaz worked to bring a national Subaru program locally to Camden: Subaru and its nationwide network of retailers’ partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org. The partnership, which falls under the Subaru Loves Learning pillar, is dedicated to helping to provide students and classrooms in high need school districts nationwide with essential learning materials.
According to AdoptAClassroom.org, 92% of classrooms nationwide have students whose families can’t afford to purchase any school supplies, and on average, educators spend up to $750 a year providing supplies for students who can’t afford it. In 2021, Subaru and its retailers adopted 4,700 classrooms across the country, impacting more than 133,000 students in need. In South Jersey, Haaz facilitated the adoption of all Kindergarten through 5th grade (K-5) classrooms in the Camden City School District.
One of the best moments of this project, says Haaz, was getting to surprise Camden City School Superintendent Katrina McCombs with the news of the commitment Subaru made to the elementary schools. (Not surprisingly, tears were shed.)
“Having hands-on learning materials is crucial to helping our students succeed, and we know it’s difficult when many students do not have access to these supplies,” says McCombs. “The support from Subaru of America will give our students new opportunities to thrive in our classrooms, so that we can all continue to focus on their educational fulfillment.”
Through the partnership, Subaru has helped almost 3,000 students across more than 150 classrooms in Camden both through monetary donations and volunteering efforts of employees. Additionally, 12 South Jersey Subaru retailers participated in the Subaru Loves Learning program, supporting 2,400 more students across South Jersey.
“Our employees are always asking me about upcoming volunteer opportunities,” Haaz says. “It makes my job easier, honestly, having so much excitement around these projects, but it’s also a testament to how much our people care about the communities around them.”
As part of the partnership, more than 90 Subaru employees helped with over 100 projects at Camden schools. Every project the volunteers took on – from planting and painting to cleaning out basements – was requested by the school’s principal, says Haaz.
“Camdenites understand better than anyone what the city needs and what opportunities the city has to be great,” Haaz says. “That’s why we work with the school district, with the mayor and with local organizations to plan how we’ll give back.”
Recently, the company started a scholarship program with Camden County College that will provide a full-ride for up to 6 Camden students to study automotive technology. Other programs started by Subaru include a scholarship fund to send city students to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. The company is also funding an automotive shop at East Side High School to train students in automotive careers.
Haaz also finds ways to drive philanthropy beyond the walls of Subaru, and has connected a number of Subaru partners with local organizations to continue funding these efforts. That’s the beauty of creating long-lasting relationships with organizations that Subaru helps, she says.
“Philanthropy is an ongoing project,” Haaz says. “Some people think that we can sponsor one event and solve a problem, but it’s about the long-term vision and building relationships to continue to lift the communities around us.”
Subaru Love Promise
The Subaru Love Promise is Subaru’s vision to show love and respect to all people at every interaction with the company and its vendors. Through these categories of giving back, Subaru works with its retailers to make the world a better place.
Subaru Loves the Earth
Loving the environment means more than loving the great outdoors. It means working to preserve it.
Subaru Loves to Care
We should all have a chance to lead a healthy life. We’re aiming to give as many people that chance as we can.
Subaru Loves to Help
In a perfect world, hunger would be history and hope would be commonplace. We believe a perfect world is possible.
Subaru Loves Learning
It’s our goal to make the pursuit of knowledge available to as many minds as possible.
Subaru Loves Pets
Whether they live in our homes or in the wild, Subaru is committed to keeping all animals safe and healthy.
