We came up with the idea of the Toyota Sienna Scholarship (TSS) in the last few months and have decided to go public with it to get it moving. We mailed the TSS proposal to Seiji Ichii (CEO, Toyota Canada), James E. Lentz (CEO, Toyota USA), and Katsuyuki Kusakawa (head of USA sales, Toyota Japan) on February 4, 2015. With the help of active social media (please LIKE, post comments and SHARE with everyone you know), we are hoping to make some noise and start a movement that will benefit our family and other high-achieving student families who would qualify. The following is a copy of the letter we sent:
Toyota Sienna Scholarship (TSS) Proposal
Every family has their own story, and our story has been quite a ride! When we were young parents, expecting our 2nd precious baby girl, we turned to Toyota when we needed a good, safe, and affordable car. In 2005 we became the proud new owners of a Toyota Matrix, and had the pleasure of driving it brand-new off the lot in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The feeling was exhilarating, knowing this beautiful car was ours - our family’s. We would create many treasured memories with that car over the years. Our Matrix has been the best car we have ever had, and has outperformed every other car we have ever heard of. We have driven from Edmonton to San Diego, California (at least 5 times), and many places in between, covering over 185,000 miles. Not once have we ever had a problem. We knew Toyota was amazing before our Matrix, but in the last 10 years we have been so blessed to have the best car ever made. Thank you, Toyota, from the bottom of our hearts! We love you! Our story, fast-forwarded to January 2015, now tells of our little family (4 beautiful daughters, and 2 very happy parents) in Rexburg, Idaho, USA. Phil had found deep interest in health care and graduated top of his class as a Registered Nurse, with a GPA of 3.99. Upon working in the industry that he was so talented at and excited about, he realized that he really wanted to do more and become a doctor. So, here we are: Daddy (Phil) is back in school as a full-time student taking his prerequisites for medical school, to which he will apply in 2016 and graduate as a resident doctor in 2021. Mommy (Lisa) is at home with the 2 youngest girls (Miriam, 5, and Lillian, 2), while the 2 oldest girls (Abbigail, 11, and Isabelle, 9) go to school every day. We still have our Matrix. In fact, we only have our Matrix. What’s more, just a couple months ago we were coming to terms that we would need to sell our car to help us finance buying a larger vehicle that would fit our entire family. Of course, finding a buyer was easy. 2 days before the sale was to go through, however, we were hit by a deer. The damages totaled almost the entire value of the car. This puts us back to square one: needing a vehicle and scrambling for any idea of how to get one. This is where you come in…
We have a proposition for you that could turn our current circumstance into a very profitable opportunity for you. Rexburg will be our home for the next 3 years, in and among the student and student-family life. From there we will have to relocate to a medical school for another 4 years. You can use these next 7 years to your advantage, all the while helping us out. We need a van. We have dreamed for years of a Toyota Sienna. You love great advertising. You want great investments and investors – current and future customers who remember you and are excited to shop with a company that helps people like THEM. We propose that you create the
Toyota Sienna Scholarship (TSS),
where a Toyota Sienna van is donated to a student family in need. Toyota can choose to decal and advertise for the TSS on the given Sienna. That family will drive and contribute FREE advertising for Toyota, informing and reinforcing to the world that Toyota is more than just about cars – they are about helping families (and in our case, a more mature family that is back in the University scene, achieving a high academic standard and in financial need). Toyota would be the first automotive company to ever create a scholarship of this kind, of this magnitude, and this donation would keep on giving back! Like any successful company, we know that the budget for marketing and advertising is fairly large, but this doesn’t necessarily have to come out of your pocket. People could “donate to the TSS” to help more families in need, if they choose, and help more people obtain a TSS. Every family remembers when times were tough and when someone reached out to help them – these pages in their story are written on their hearts forever. People can “pay it forward” to the TSS, and to Toyota. You can be sure that we will! When it comes time for them to purchase a new vehicle, you can bet that they will go to Toyota. They will want to support a company that cares - REALLY cares - and shows it. Students, families and communities will remember that Toyota gives, and wil invest their money with you for years to come. Another great idea for advertising on the Sienna would be to say something along the lines of “Toyota gave us this Sienna FREE!” and then list a link to the website where they could read up on the TSS and donate/apply. Working in business and advertising has taught us that people do a double-take when they see the word FREE. It’s a magnet for business. We would also be happy to hand out information and donate some of our time marketing the TSS to other students/families and schools. Toyota wants to make great investments, and we are writing to tell you that the Woodruffs are a great investment. We are great representatives for this scholarship and would tenderly care for our new Toyota Sienna van all around campuses for the next 7 years for all students and faculty to see. We are and will be among your future customers. Students in a variety of majors and industries here at BYU-Idaho, but also among future doctors! The National Center for Educational Statistics* stated that [between 2000 and 2011, the enrollment of students 25 and over rose 41 percent. From 2011 to 2021, NCES projects a rise of 14 percent in enrollments of students 25 and over.] These numbers support that there is and will continue to be a need for the TSS, as more people are going back to school in their older years, and will most likely have or will be starting families in the process. Imagine Toyota advertising standing out among some of the highest paid professionals in the world. Toyota. They would remember you. They would invest in you. Their families would continue to invest in you. We would also be willing to be the faces of the TSS. Our family is beautiful, friendly, clean living, clean driving record, we don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs, and we are just really happy people who work hard at our goals! We have also moved a lot in the last decade and have accumulated hundreds of new friends in each location. People like us, and they know of our situation. Toyota helping us would be heard of far and wide, and the word would spread like wildfire. People want to support great companies and causes. Rest assured this would stand out! Toyota is a great company. There are plenty of great companies out there. We believe that the Toyota Sienna Scholarship would put you above and beyond greatness. We can help you with that. Invest in us! Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
The Woodruff Family (Phillip, Lisa, Abbigail, Isabelle, Miriam, and Lillian)
*National Center for Education Statistics web page: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98
