Now you can easily spot the heros; they’ll be behind the wheel of a 100th anniversary Mazda Miata MX-5.
Mazda has been committed to highlighting community heroes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the first signs of the global pandemic started to sweep across America, Mazda launched the Essential Care program that provided car care to first responders and medical professionals. This program has morphed into Mazda Heroes, a program that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and honors what is good, inspiring and courageous in our communities right now. In a very cool stroke of timing, the Mazda Heroes program coincides with the 100th Anniversary of the Miata MX-5.
In a perfect synergy of event and anniversary, Mazda chose to celebrate by giving back to its communities and looking for the helpers and the bringers of light, hope and encouragement in an extraordinary year. In October, Mazda put out a call for community heroes and received thousands of inspiring entries. This month Mazda, chose to honor 50 Heroes that have left a lasting and moving impact on their community with a stunning piece of Mazda history, the 100th Anniversary Special Edition of the Miata MX-5. Recipients like Jason Erdreich, a 26-year old Teacher in Madison, NJ was nominated by his wife.
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A teacher with a heart.
The middle school shop teacher and Mazda enthusiast, leveraged his technical skills to create community, help continue student education and make a lasting impact. While teaching online during the early stages of the pandemic, he saw a need for families to connect to one another and their community, so he created and continues to host a town-wide virtual trivia night.
Already having restructured his shop classes to an online format, Jason designed additional online STEM classes for students learning remotely. The hometown hero also brought together a team of people with 3-D printers to help make over 7,000 pieces of PPE equipment and additional supplemental equipment needed for shifting to back in-person school at a cost-effective price-point.
Watch more of his story here.
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The Mazda Miata MX-5 is a gorgeous machine.
And the 100th anniversary edition is even more wonderful. Normally starting at just over $32,000, the white body is paired with a red cloth convertible top to echo the design of the first R360 Coupe the company ever made. Paired with supple red Nappa leather seats and intuitive details like a 100th anniversary key fob and and a leather-wrapped shifter knob, this iconic machine is a cut above all the rest when it comes to luxury and comfort.
Because it’s based on the Miata MX-5 Grand Tourer, this machine has an engine that can produce 181 horsepower and 151 ft-lbs of torque, which is perfect for a snappy little two-seater. It’s a great little vehicle to award the people who have worked hard to keep communities together in the middle of a pandemic, a nice little way to treat yourself after a challenging year.
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And Jason is only one of a few.
Mazda has also celebrated other teachers, ICU nurses, and community service leaders with its Heroes program. To see more of the dozens of inspiring stories collected by the team at Mazda, visit MazdaUSA.com/Mazda-Heroes
