General Motors will showcase their new float today at the 86th annual America's Thanksgiving Parade. The theme of the new float is "Education Fuels Tomorrow's Innovators," which was inspired by GM's commitment to investing in the youth of America, "the next generation of innovators."
"We are delighted that the GM Foundation has chosen such an inspiring theme for their new float," said Tony Michaels, president and CEO, The Parade Company. "We are certain that parade goers will be entertained by both its theme and the intricate design."
America's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the country's oldest and respected parades put on annually by The Parade Company. It is scheduled to take place on Woodward Ave. and Mack today and end on Woodward Ave. and Congress in Detroit, MI.
The float is a 17 feet tall, 60 feet long animated robot that controls the action on board and features a pneumatically powered head and mouth that move according to the press release. The float offers a futuristic scene with two students leaving high school and moving on to whatever the future holds.
The two students then find themselves with different educational road options: Math Lane, Technology Drive, Science Way and Engineering Road. Each road was supposed to represent examples of opportunities that await them at STEM majors.
"This float is GM Foundation demonstrating its commitment to the youth and families of our community," said Michael J. Brennan, United Way for Southeastern Michigan president and CEO in the company's press release. "We are delighted by the forward-looking view of the work we are doing now to transform high schools throughout the tri-county region."
The float was designed and constructed by The Parade Company as well which celebrated education in Detroit and more specifically the United Way "Network of Excellence" started by the GM Foundation. The foundation currently has a $27.1 million agreement with over seven Detroit high schools.
"Our new float is a celebration of the GM Foundation's many educational partnerships and our commitment to encourage more students to pursue studies of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) - areas critical to the future success of our nation," said Selim Bingol, GM vice president, Global Communications and Public Policy and the new chairman of the GM Foundation in the press release.
Representatives from the "Network of Excellence" high schools took part in the float unveiling last week, which was accompanied by the East Detroit Marching Band as it made its way along Atwater Street in Detroit. Congressman John Dingell and Debbie Dingell were the co-grand marshals for the two-hour parade.
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