DETROIT -

As basketball fans rush to put together their perfect bracket sheets amid NCAA March Madness, one nameplate is participating in the event in a different way.

Buick donated more than 300 pairs of shoes to needy children through Samaritan’s Feet, an organization dedicated to helping cover the feet of 300 million shoeless children throughout the world.

And as for the NCAA connection, the organization’s founder, Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme, was featured on the Buick Human Highlight Reel during last year’s NCAA basketball tournament.

“The Buick Human Highlight Reel is an online collection and archive of short videos featuring former NCAA student-athletes whose greatest victories occur away from the game, where they apply their passion to serving those in need,” officials explained.

And new stories in this year’s Human Highlight Reel will be introduced on www.ncaa.com/buick, and many will air throughout coverage of this year’s tournament.

“The NCAA Final Four showcases incredible human achievement on the basketball court,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.

“With the Human Highlight Reel and our involvement with Samaritan’s Feet, Buick hopes to demonstrate the difference men and women can make away from the court, all around the world,” he added.

With commentary from the OEM, student-athletes to be featured include:

•    Chris Duhon, a Duke basketball player from 2000–2004 who now plays professionally. “His Stand Tall Foundation works with children to encourage teamwork, commitment, discipline, and work ethic through community outreach events," the OEM explained.

•    Amber Tollefson, a former Florida State soccer player who founded the Give N Go Project. “While traveling abroad, Amber was inspired by poverty-stricken children playing soccer with nothing but goals made of sticks and a coconut for a ball. She now raises money to provide equipment and raise self-esteem in Third World countries," officials noted.

•    Tyrone Grant, who played college basketball at St. Johns. “He now works with inner city youth in Brooklyn, N.Y., as a mentor through his Team First program. The organization uses competitive athletics to promote responsibility and teamwork," the company shared.

•    Jason Taylor, a University of Arizona football player who later had a career in the NFL. “His Jason Taylor Foundation works to improve health care, education, and quality of life for children in southern Florida," officials noted.

Buick will also be participate in Bracket Town, an NCAA fan experience  located in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 people and will feature two Buick displays.

“Fans will be able to get a close look at current Buick models, as well as the upcoming 2013 Encore crossover,” officials noted.

“They’ll also be able to compete in what is expected to be the world’s largest game of ‘knockout’, to win game tickets or other prizes, they added.

Furthermore, Buick will also be donating shoes to Samaritan’s Feet for every participant.

And that’s not all. Samaritan’s Feet activities will continue in New Orleans, with Buick donating 2012 pair of shoes to impoverished children in the region.

The handouts will be split across four different events at local schools and community centers, the company explained.