Infiniti Donates More Than $1 Million to Charity

NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - May 16, 2016) -  This year, Infiniti donated more than $1 million to a variety of coaches' charities as part of the brand's ongoing corporate partnership with NCAA^® and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Allyson Witherspoon, director Marketing Communications and Media, Infiniti USA, presented the checks to the winners at Infiniti Americas Headquarters in Tennessee.

Following a successful six years as an official NCAA corporate partner through the joint venture with Turner Sports and CBS Sports, Infiniti has also committed to another five years as an official corporate partner. Infiniti will continue its support of NCAA student-athletes and sponsorship of the NCAA Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate presented by Infiniti, in addition to integrated broadcast features, digital and streaming sponsorships and integration of NCAA coaches into marketing initiatives.

"We are pleased that Infiniti has reaffirmed its support of NCAA student-athletes and higher education values with its five-year contract renewal as an NCAA corporate partner," said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances. "Having Infiniti's strong brand remain in our NCAA Corporate Champion and Partner Program is another indicator that the company believes in student-athlete success, both academically as well as athletically."

Head Coach John Beilein and the University of Michigan Wolverines fans won the annual Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge, a first for the school. Beilein's chosen charity, the ChadTough Foundation, received a check for $100,000. Infiniti donated another $227,500 to various philanthropic organizations that were individually selected by the other NCAA Division I basketball coaches in the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge.

"We're honored to continue our support of the Coaches' Charity Challenge, the NABC and the American Cancer Society through Coaches vs. Cancer and look forward to working together over the next five years," Witherspoon said. "Coach Beilein and the Michigan Wolverines did a wonderful job rallying to win the Challenge in support of the ChadTough Foundation. We're proud to make a donation to such a deserving organization."

Now in its sixth year, Infiniti continued its support of the NABC with a donation of $721,500 to Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the NABC. As the largest corporate donor for Coaches vs. Cancer, Infiniti pledged to make a charitable contribution to the program each time a fan participated in the Infiniti sponsored Round by Round bracket game during NCAA March Madness^®.

In conjunction with Coaches vs. Cancer, last month Infiniti presented the first ever Hardwood Heroes basketball game -- an opportunity for two teams of cancer survivors to play on the same floor as Final Four participants at NRG Stadium in Houston to raise awareness in the fight to end cancer. Thirteen Hardwood Heroes players and coaches Jim Harrick and Tom Penders were present at Infiniti Americas Headquarters for the donation presentation.

Distinguished guests at this year's celebration included Randy Parker, Vice President, Infiniti Americas; Kelly Doss, Executive VP American Cancer Society; Matt Wolfert, Director Corporate Partnerships at NCAA; Wade Hageman from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Erica Cardillo, Director NCAA Partnerships at Turner Sports.

NCAA, March Madness and Final Four are registered trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

About Infiniti

Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and China. Infiniti plans to also expand manufacturing into Mexico by 2017.

Infiniti design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing.

Infiniti is in the middle of a major product offensive. The brand has been widely acclaimed for its daring design and innovative driver-assistance technologies.

From the 2016 season, Infiniti is a technical partner of the Renault Sport Formula One team, contributing its expertise in hybrid performance.

More information about Infiniti, its Total Ownership Experience^® and its industry leading technologies can be found at InfinitiUSA.com. For the latest news on Infiniti, visit InfinitiNews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.

About NCAA

The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola as official corporate champions and the following elite companies as official corporate partners: Allstate, Amazon Echo, Bing (Microsoft), Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Nabisco, Northwestern Mutual, Reese's, Unilever and UPS. [NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.]

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.

About Coaches vs. Cancer

Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams, and communities to join in saving more lives. The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.

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