WARRENVILLE, ILL. – (June 21, 2011) – Navistar continues to show its commitment to the communities it serves by donating a used step van valued at $20,000 to HERO (Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, Inc.) in Hale County, Alabama, to assist the organization in its rebuilding efforts in the wake of the devastating tornadoes that swept through the state of Alabama, where Navistar has significant operations.

Alan Stegich, national service director for Navistar’s Workhorse custom products business unit, and Andrea Clay, Workhorse legal and consumer affairs manager, recently presented the keys to HERO Executive Director Pam Dorr.

“This donation is a small token of how Navistar and Workhorse are giving back to the areas where employees live and work,” said William Osborne, vice president, Custom Products, Navistar. “We are committed to ensuring the community succeeds in its rebuilding efforts.”

“The tornadoes here were quite damaging for our small area,” said Dorr. “We were not sure how to rebuild with this kind of devastation, but it is clear with this donation that we can begin getting the process moving along.”

“When I shared with Pam what our intentions were, she was almost crying on the phone,” said Clay. “Pam said they have never had such a generous donation— they always just had to piece trucks together. This will make a huge difference in hauling supplies back and forth for rebuilding homes.”

The donation of the vehicle is in addition to the $50,000 Navistar provided to the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund (GERF), established by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to help Alabama residents with unmet recovery needs. Donations to this fund will be used to relieve suffering caused by the spring storms. The fund, which is administered by the United Ways of Alabama, will operate on an ongoing basis to help Alabama residents who have exhausted all other avenues of disaster relief, such as FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and any other disaster relief programs.

In addition, employees at Navistar’s Melrose Park engine plant secured generators to assist employees at Navistar’s Huntsville engine plant when they were without power.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Alabama whose lives have been impacted by the worst domestic disaster since Hurricane Katrina,” said Eric Tech, president, Navistar Engine Group. “We believe in being a good neighbor wherever we do business and we are proud to step up and help the community in a great time of need.”

About Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, Inc. (HERO)

HERO works as a catalyst for community development in areas of the Alabama Black Belt to end rural poverty. As a non-profit housing resource center, HERO provides community resources and housing education. HERO was founded in 1994 by a group of committed citizens who wanted to create a strong community focused on family. HERO is a 501c3 non-profit organization.