Houston (Feb. 17, 2006) Fleming Middle School has partnered with Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta to enhance the school’s athletic facilities by building a track at the school, located at 4910 Collingsworth St.  In addition, space for a football and soccer field will be provided inside of the track.  Night-time lighting will be installed so that the track may be used by not only the school and its students, but also by the surrounding community.  Other amenities that will be installed include bleachers, trash receptacles, player benches and a score board.

            “Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta are glad to contribute to Fleming Middle School and the neighborhoods surrounding the school by helping to build this track,” said Roman Martinez, executive vice president of community affairs for Texas Taxi, the parent company of Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta. 

            To build the track at Fleming, Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta are making a donation to the school and encouraging the local community, as well as businesses and corporations in the area to make donations. To ensure that the school raises enough money for the track, Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta will match all funds given to Fleming – dollar-for dollar – donated by individuals, organizations and corporations.  The fundraiser will last through March 11, 2006.

            The track is being built in part by the SPARK School Park program, a non-profit organization operating out of Mayor White’s office, whose mission is to increase park space in Houston by converting public school grounds into public parks and facilities.  SPARK was created in 1983 by former Houston City Council Member, Eleanor Tinsley and combines the resources of the Department of Housing and Community Development, seven local school districts, Harris County, the private sector, neighborhood groups, PTA/PTO organizations and concerned citizens.
            The donation for the athletic facilities at Fleming Middle School is not the only thing Yellow Cab Houston and Taxis Fiesta have done to enhance Houston-area schools.  The companies donated computers to McReynolds Middle School and E. O. Smith Middle School to assist students in reading and mathematic skills, and the companies established a tutoring and mentoring program with McReynolds Middle school in November 2005. 

            Yellow Cab Houston’s and Taxis Fiesta’s partnership with Fleming Middle school is just one of many charitable outreach initiatives that makes up the Yellow Cab/Taxis Fiesta Cares program, a program that provides charitable dollars, taxi advertising, employee volunteer time and other resources to local charities and companies.  Yellow Cab Houston’s vast community involvement ranges from working with local charities and events, including the Houston Police Foundation, the HISD Foundation, Child Advocates, Inc., Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, and Fiestas Patrias. Yellow Cab/Taxis Fiesta Cares has also created programs such as annual scholarships, mentoring partnerships with local schools, underwriting local youth athletic events and building community awareness campaigns concerning drinking and driving.

For information on Yellow Cab Cares, contact yellowcabcares@houstonyellowcab.com.

            People interested in making a donation for the track at Fleming Middle School may contact the school by calling 713-671-4170 or bringing a donation to the school, located at 4910 Collingsworth St.  Donations may also be sent to SPARK at P.O. Box 1562, Houston, TX 77251.  Checks may be addressed to SPARK with Fleming Middle School indicated on the check.

About Yellow Cab

Yellow Cab is Houston’s only computer dispatched taxi fleet.  With more than 1,200 independent contractor-operated cabs in the Houston area, Yellow Cab’s taxi service is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.  All cabs are equipped with digital cameras as well as Global Positioning Systems.  For more information, log onto www.yellowcabhouston.com.