BOSTON, Sept. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Across the country, college and university student organizations make an impact by distributing healthcare supplies overseas, protecting the environment, tutoring and mentoring students, or hosting dance-offs to fundraise for a cause. These are just a few ways students are making a difference in their communities, both on and off campus. To support the next generation of mission-driven leaders, Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network and the largest campus car-sharing provider, today announced the 2019 winner of Students with Drive, the University of Michigan’s Blueprints for Pangaea chapter, and is kicking off its 8th annual contest calling student organizations from coast to coast to enter.
Students with Drive first launched in October 2011 to support student organizations who need access to transportation to move their mission forward. For nearly twenty years, Zipcar has been a critical component of campus transportation and sustainability initiatives, providing students, faculty, and staff access to Zipcars to pursue off-campus activities, enriching the student life experience and supporting a university’s impact on the community. Since Students with Drive first launched, Zipcar has given more than one million dollars in funding to empower 400 student groups across the country.
“Zipcar’s mission is to enable simple and responsible living, and we recognize that students are already working in a wide variety of ways to advance this mission, both on and off campus,” said Tracey Zhen, president of Zipcar. “Through Students with Drive, Zipcar supports the next generation of mission-driven leaders who will shape the future of their communities, our country, and the world.”
About the 2019 Grand Prize Winner: Blueprints for Pangaea, University of Michigan chapter
Selected as the grand prize winner from more than 100 entrants, the University of Michigan chapter of Blueprints for Pangaea won $5,000 to support their cause and $2,000 to access Zipcars via membership and driving credit to continue driving their mission forward. Blueprints for Pangaea is a network of university chapters united in addressing global health care inequalities by reallocating excess, unused medical supplies from U.S. hospitals and suppliers to those overseas in need. Additionally, Zipcar awarded a $5,000 scholarship to the University of Michigan who is allocating the grant to its general Housing Room and Board Scholarship Fund.
"As a student-run 501(c)(3) non-profit, Blueprints For Pangaea leverages the capabilities of students to create tangible and transformational social impact. Every dollar we receive ships over $50 worth of medical supplies, and the resources from the 2018-2019 Zipcar Student with Drive competition will help us redistribute $1,000,000+ in unused medical supplies to communities in need abroad,” said Anurag Bolneni, Chief Executive Officer for Blueprints for Pangaea. “We are beyond grateful to Zipcar for empowering us with the financial resources and mobility necessary to continue reducing international health inequities!”
Are you a Student with Drive? Enter now!
To be considered for Students with Drive, interested student organizations should enter by October 31, 2019, and submit a statement that addresses their passion for their organization’s mission, along with an explanation of how Zipcar can help drive the organization further. A panel of judges will review the submissions, and the top 10 entrants will receive $300 to cover access to a Zipcar and a $500 gift card to create a video demonstrating the community’s need and how the student organization will address this need with the help of Zipcar. Videos must be submitted by 3/1/2020 and will be voted on by Zipcar and via select social channels. Winners will be notified in the spring of 2020. For complete rules and to enter, visit www.zipcar.com/swd.
Students with Drive will provide ten finalists the opportunity to both support their student organizations as well as students on their campus via a scholarship.
| Place | Scholarship Awarded to College or University | Funding Awarded to Student Organization | Grant Awarded to Student Organization to Access Zipcars | |||
| 1st Place | $5,000 | $5,000 | $2,000 | |||
| 2nd Place | $3,000 | $3,000 | $1,000 | |||
| 3rd Place | $2,000 | $2,000 | $500 | |||
| 4th – 10th Place | $500 | $500 | $300 | |||
Zipcar Provides a Sustainable Transportation Solution to Colleges and Universities Nationwide
Since 2001, Zipcar has been a critical component for creating a sustainable transportation network on college and university campuses nationwide, giving students an easy way to get around without bringing a personal car to school. Fewer personal vehicles on campus reduces traffic, congestion and CO2 emissions and frees up valuable space on campus that could otherwise be used for classroom buildings, science labs and athletic fields. More than 30 percent of college Zipcar members leave their car at home after joining the service, and another 40 percent are less likely to buy a car because of their Zipcar membership, according to an academic survey conducted by Zipcar and UC Berkeley.1 Today, Zipcar enables more than 600 campus communities to drive on-demand with gas, insurance, parking, and up to 180-miles a day included in the cost of a reservation. To learn more, visit www.zipcar.com/universities.
About Zipcar
Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing network, driven by a mission to enable simple and responsible urban living. With its wide variety of self-service vehicles available by the hour or day, Zipcar operates in urban areas and university campuses in over 500 cities and towns. Zipcar offers the most comprehensive, most convenient and most flexible car-sharing options available. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a leading global provider of mobility solutions. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.
1 A. Stocker, J. Lazarus, S. Becker, and S. Shaheen. (2016, September). “North American College/University Marketing Carsharing Impacts: Results from Zipcar’s College Travel Study 2015. Effects on Vehicle Use and Ownership, Travel Behavior, Quality of Life, and Environmental Impacts.” http://innovativemobility.org/wp-content/uploads/Zipcar-College-Market-Study-2015.pdf
A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd9be498-168a-4f8d-9b22-c9d6671d1d83