Toyota is marking a milestone this month - its North American headquarters in Plano turns one year old.
The company brought 4,100 jobs to North Texas and set the wheels in motion for several more corporate relocations.
Toyota joined an area with headquarters of American icons like Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut and J.C. Penney.
Toyota's economic impact in Plano is estimated at $7.2 billion. But if you ask Janet Collinsworth, it is immeasurable.
Collinsworth is the founder of Plano-based Agape Resource and Assistance Center.
The non-profit provides housing, transportation, child-care and education to homeless mothers and children.
“Over 80% of our moms are family violence or sexual assault or trafficking victims,” she explained.
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Every year, Collinsworth said a lack of funding forces her to turn away about 500 mothers.
But a $1 million Toyota Impact Grant is helping reduce that number by paying to get 40 families off the streets.
“The Impact grant actually helped provide funding for the core, very expensive part of living: The housing and the transportation and the child care and the tuition for education so moms can get an education and get higher paying jobs,” Collinsworth said.
The grant was announced the day of Toyota's grand opening on July 6, 2017.
It was awarded to Agape and four other non-profits working together to make a meaningful impact in the community.
“What we're doing is we're sharing and we are adopting one agency to another the best practices so that all the ships of the ocean are rising,” Collinsworth said.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Plano Academy High School was gifted $1 million from Toyota back in 2014 when the company announced its move to Plano.
“It's a pretty cool way to support society,” said Mike Goss, general manager of Toyota's social innovation and president of the Toyota USA Foundation.
Toyota has worked with more than 12 communities, including the North Texas Food Bank and Children’s Health Dallas.
Goss said the company has also worked with Meals on Wheels to improve efficiency.
He said Toyota has even helped reduce emergency room wait times at Parkland Hospital by focusing on the patient-discharge process.
“We have so much more to share like knowledge and expertise and often that's more impactful than just the money,” Goss said.
Fun facts about Toyota's first year:
- Visits to the HQ: 56,743
- Be-Well clinic visits: 2,502
- Number of Rx filled in pharmacy: 11,622
- Vaccinations administered: 1,862
- Fitness center towels used: 88,000
- Rock climbing: 94 club members
- Café meals served: 626,455
- Starbucks coffee sold: 62,336
- Credit union ATM transactions: 15,570
- Outgoing mail: Approx. 200,000
