TAMPA, Fla., July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor
North America and the National Mobility Equipment Dealers
Association (NMEDA) announced the winner of the 2016 Toyota Sienna
wheelchair accessible vehicle awarded through National Mobility
Awareness Month's Local Heroes Contest. Steve Karmgard of Genoa, Illinois has won a customized minivan
with conversions by BraunAbility. Karmgard who was
injured in a diving accident at the age of 18, has lived his life
moving forward by working full time, and also volunteering for the
organization Canine Companions as a speaker, and along with his
wife recently served as a chairperson raising $90,000 for their local chapter. The online
Local Heroes Contest had 928 Local Hero entries that received 1.1
million votes.
"Toyota is very proud to be a part of National Mobility
Awareness Month's Local Heroes Contest," said Bill Burris, Toyota Fleet Marketing Trade Shows,
Events & Mobility Sales Manager. "Independence is what
Toyota Mobility offers to its customers. Through an array of
options, accessible Sienna vans allow for detailed customization to
meet nearly every type of mobility challenge." Having received a
5-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Sienna has the most standard
airbags in its class, and offers a pre-collision radar system to
determine if a front-end collision is imminent, and then applies
the brakes while the front seat passenger's seatbelts
retract. It was also named one of Kelly Blue Books Best
Family Cars for 2016.
"The Local Heroes Contest is a rewarding part of what we do at
NMEDA. The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) that all NMEDA
members subscribe to ensure that the best and safest mobility
options are provided," said Dave
Hubbard, NMEDA CEO. "Each year the awareness for mobility
challenges and solutions continues to grow and we thank our
members, contest sponsors and the hundreds of communities and
thousands of individuals who rallied this year to make this special
once again. I also want to personally thank the millions who
took the time to read and learn about all of the Local Heroes in
our contest and then cast their votes."
About National Mobility Awareness Month
Each year, May
is National Mobility Awareness Month and is the annual
celebration that encourages seniors, veterans, caregivers and
people with disabilities to enjoy active, mobile lifestyles.
Founded in 1989 as a not-for-profit trade association, the National
Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) supports the
awareness month with the assistance of approximately 600 mobility
equipment dealers, manufacturers and driver rehabilitation
specialists located in the United
States and Canada dedicated
to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. For
updates, please visit MobilityAwarenessMonth.com, as well
as Facebook, Twitter (@NMEDAcom)
and Pinterest.
About Toyota Motor North America
Toyota
(NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell
vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live
through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years,
we've built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million
cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and
about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years
are still on the road today.
For more information contact:
Donna P. Tinoco,
APR
donna@FloridaPRPro.com
281 229-0180
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America; National Mobility Equipment
Dealers Association