Johnson Controls Donates $100,000 to Cornerstone Schools of Detroit
24 September 1998
Johnson Controls Donates $100,000 to Cornerstone Schools of DetroitJohnson Controls Foundation provides funds to help educate Detroit's youth DETROIT, Sept. 24, -- Cornerstone Schools Association of Detroit will receive $100,000 from automotive supplier Johnson Controls, Inc. over the next five years to assist in the education of Detroit's youth. John M. Barth, president and chief operating officer of Johnson Controls presented the first installment today at the Iroquois Campus of Cornerstone Schools in Detroit during a ceremony including students and retired Chrysler Corp. Vice Chairman Robert Lutz, chairman of the Cornerstone Schools capital campaign attempting to raise $19.6 million. Johnson Controls is donating $20,000 annually from 1998 to 2003 to the group of academically challenging private schools in Detroit that provides an education to all students regardless of their ability to pay full tuition. Johnson Controls' donation and those of other corporations and civic organizations provide the balance of student tuition. Currently, Cornerstone has more than 625 students at 4 schools. "We are pleased to join Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and many other corporate sponsors in this worthwhile effort to help fund an important organization that supports the K-8 educational needs of our community," Barth said. "We're proud to help Cornerstone Schools reach out and provide a solid education to many Detroit children." Johnson Controls also has 10 employees who have volunteered to be partners to students, these include several executives at the director and vice president level. As a partner, these employees participate in activities with the school children 3-4 times over the 1998/1999 school year. "Donations from Johnson Controls and other organizations are critical to the success of Cornerstone Schools," said Ernestine Sanders, president and CEO of Cornerstone Schools. "With the help and support of Bob Lutz, Johnson Controls and our other contributors, we can continue to build a solid education for Detroit's youth." Cornerstone Schools are Christ-centered, academically challenging schools that strive to build a strong foundation of faith and academic excellence for children in the city of Detroit. The schools opened in the fall of 1991 to 165 students, offering an 11-month school year and a curriculum based on the fundamentals of writing, reading, math and science, integrated with strong moral and character development. Today, more than 625 students are enrolled at four Cornerstone Schools in pre-kindergarten through eight grades. Johnson Controls, Inc., with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, is a global market leader in automotive systems and building controls. Founded in 1885, Johnson Controls had sales of US$11.1 billion in 1997 and operates in more than 500 locations around the world. See http://www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information. The Plymouth, Michigan-based Automotive Systems Group of Johnson Controls is one of the world's largest suppliers of vehicle interior systems, and is a major supplier of batteries. In 1998, the company's worldwide operations will supply interior products for more than 22 million vehicles. The Automotive Systems Group employs more than 54,500 people at 215 facilities worldwide and achieved $8 billion in sales for the 1997 fiscal year. /CONTACT: Dave Roznowski of Johnson Controls, 734-254-5632/ /Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 473547/