Outreach/Philanthropy

In addition to its long history of building vehicles, Hyundai has long supported the fight against pediatric cancer. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to find a cure for pediatric cancer, and the automaker says Hope on Wheels is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country.

Primary funding for the program comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers, along with the 19 Hyundai dealers that comprise the Washington Area Hyundai Dealers.

On Monday, Hyundai announced a continuation of that effort, as a program with its latest Hyundai Hands-On contest will take place in April at the 2019 Washington Auto Show.

The Washington Auto Show, The Washington Area Hyundai Dealers, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Children’s National will work together in putting on the Hyundai Hands-On Contest. Hyundai describes the contest as a “longtime staple of The Washington Auto Show,” and it requires contestants to remain in constant contact with a Hyundai vehicle over multiple days (with a few breaks).

The winner of this year’s contest, which is titled, “Hands on Hope: 50 Hours for $50,000,” will drive away in a new 2019 Hyundai Kona SEL.

Contestants will compete over a 50-hour contest period. A new feature of this year’s contest is that the six contestants will include employees from Georgetown Lombardi and Children’s National. The institute where the contest’s winning contestant works will receive a $50,000 grant for research toward finding a cure for pediatric cancer.

“The Hyundai Hands-On Contest has long been a hallmark event at our show,” Washington Auto Show president and chief executive officer John O'Donnell said in a news release. "We are proud to be able to use this competition to showcase the important work that our local medical centers do to help the most vulnerable among us in their greatest time of need."

‘The Washington Area Hyundai dealers are proud to support this great work, and excited that one of their employees will drive away in a brand-new 2019 Hyundai Kona SEL,” Kevin Reilly, owner of Alexandria Hyundai and representative of the Washington Area Hyundai Dealers, said in a news release.

With only 15-minute breaks every three hours, contestants must remain in contact with the Hyundai Kona at all times during the 50-hour competition. The winner will receive a new 2019 Hyundai Kona CUV from the Washington Area Hyundai Dealers.

At the end of the 50 hours, if more than one contestant is still in contact with the vehicle, the remaining contestants will select a Hyundai key from a bowl. The contestant with the one key that starts the vehicle will win the Hyundai Kona for him or herself, along with the $50,000 pediatric cancer research grant for his or her medical center. The institute that does not have the winning employee on its team will receive a pediatric cancer research grant for $10,000.

As in past years, Auto Show attendees will be able to observe the contest during public show hours.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels has provided more than $1.6 million in grants to Children’s National and more than $1.4 million in grants to Georgetown Lombardi. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has contributed more than $145 million to the fight against pediatric cancer since its inception in 1998.

“Hyundai Hope On Wheels has fueled some of the most promising cancer research projects underway at Children’s National,” Children’s National Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders vice president Jeffrey Dome said in a news release. "We are grateful to Hyundai Hope on Wheels — and all of the dealerships here and around the country—for their partnership and generous support for research in pediatric oncology."

Such awards allow Jeffery Toretsky, a pediatric oncologist and researcher at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and past recipient of grant funding, to be more imaginative, even if approaches fail, he said in a news release.

“If we, pediatric oncologists, don’t aggressively go after novel approaches to creating drugs that are most important for targeting childhood cancer, nobody will,” Toretsky said. “Our work targeting the 'undruggable' has led to a current clinical trial in Ewing sarcoma. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has provided resources for my team to search outside the box in order to achieve new ways to treat cancer in both children and young adults.”

In addition to selling vehicles, Autotrader team members keep busy with community service, including sponsorships, donations, community partnerships and volunteerism.

Autotrader and other companies under the umbrella of Cox Enterprises also employ more than 1,700 active veterans, and Autotrader vice president of marketing Greta Crowley notes that the company "continues to make strides in strengthening the support offered to America’s heroes.”

Now the company is continuing its participation in a program that it launched last fall to raise money for veterans during their road to recovery.

Autotrader was set to honor America's heroes with Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday through Sunday. Brad Keselowski drove the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang for Team Penske, and he launched the return of the Tribute 2 Veterans program last fall.

During the campaign, friends and family of former service members submitted a veteran’s name to be featured on the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang. Cox Automotive, parent company of Autotrader, encouraged current veteran employees from all Cox Enterprises companies to add their names to be placed on the vehicle.

The vehicle’s paint scheme features 58 Cox employee names and more than 140 additional veterans. The proceeds go to the Checkered Flag Foundation, and each veteran will receive a piece of the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang displaying his or her name.

Autotrader also donated an additional $10,000 to Keselowski’s non-profit foundation, which assists veterans in getting back on their feet.

“Our company has a strong tradition of supporting communities, and there is nothing more satisfying than finding a connection between our Autotrader values and our close partnership with Team Penske,” Crowley, vice president of marketing for Autotrader, said in a news release.

Now entering its sixth season with Team Penske, Autotrader sponsors Keselowski and fellow driver Joey Logano. The company is also an associate sponsor on both cars for the full Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Readers can find more information here on the business intersection of sports and automotive as part of Auto Remarkting's Driving Force series. 

Viewers of Saturday’s “TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader,” which took place before Sunday’s National Basketball Association All-Star game, saw an example of Autotrader's charitable work as a studio host presented a brand-new vehicle to a family dealing with muscular dystrophy.

In addition to its work as an online destination for people to buy and sell vehicles, Autotrader supports various charitable causes, and viewers witnessed an example of that on Saturday. The event marked the 13th year that Autotrader has teamed with Turner Sports and the NBA to donate a vehicle to help a deserving family.

The promotion began during the NBA’s regular season, with Turner Sports’ “Inside the NBA” studio hosts competing in the Autotrader All-Star Drive fantasy basketball challenge. Hosts Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley selected the player that they thought would be the top performer during that night’s game broadcast. The winner, courtesy of Autotrader, won the chance to donate a new vehicle to the charity of his choice.

This year’s winner, Johnson, played to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which promotes innovations in science and care to help people affected by muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to donate a new vehicle and give back to the remarkable family,” Greta Crowley, vice president of marketing for Autotrader, said in a news release. “These meaningful partnerships allow us to give back through charitable organizations, highlighting Autotrader’s commitment to serve our local communities.”

ADESA president John Hammer is serious about helping with the fight against type 1 diabetes. He notes that about 40,000 people in the U.S. will be newly diagnosed with the disease, “potentially impacting some of our employees, customers, and their family members," he said.

“That’s why we take our fundraising partnerships with Emkay and the Ford Global Action Team seriously,” he continued in a news release. ADESA and those two partner companies raised $210,546 in support of type 1 diabetes research funding organization JDRF last year. Together, these partnerships have raised more than $1.5 million since 2011 for JDRF, which describes itself as the largest charitable supporter of type 1 diabetes research.

“It’s with their support and the generosity of our customers and employees that we are able to make a significant impact on funding for diabetes awareness and research,” Hammer said.

That’s good news for JDRF, which has a research mission to discover, develop, and deliver advances that cure, better treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes.

Many individual ADESA auction locations have been involved in the project. During a nine-month campaign between March 1 and Nov. 30, 2018, EMKAY and ADESA each made matching donations generated across 21 participating ADESA auction locations. This campaign raised $67,220 for JDRF, taking the seven-year fundraising partnership total to $334,220.

Individual auction locations have also taken the fund-raising efforts to a friendly-rivalry level. A group of the auctions compete each year for the honor of raising the most money for JDRF. The ADESA Buffalo location in Akron, N.Y., led the 2018 results with $35,997 raised overall.

In 2018, the Ford Global Action Team’s involvement helped result in some serious fundraising power in the fight against diabetes. That year, ADESA and the Ford Global Action Team hosted special fundraising events at six ADESA locations in support of JDRF. That campaign collected $143,326, increasing the seven-year fundraising partnership total to $1,173,831.

ADESA is serious about other charitable causes, as well.

For the eighth consecutive year at the NADA Show, ADESA will host a charity auction benefitting the NADA Foundation and Canine Companions for Independence. This year’s auction item is a Yamaha golf cart. The auction will take place at ADESA’s booth (#621 South) at 1 p.m. on Jan. 26, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

NADA noted that to date, ADESA’s auctions at the NADA Show have raised $384,000 for the NADA Foundation, which supports Canine Companions.

Breast cancer research organization Susan G. Komen has used various fundraising methods to acquire funds toward its mission of saving lives and ending breast cancer. It’s latest method: Digital license plates.

Reviver Auto, creator of the Rplate digital license plate, and Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County have partnered to create a Susan G. Komen-branded digital license plate that will help raise funds to support the organization’s mission.

Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County and Reviver announced on Monday at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show that the partnership will also enable the activation of digital Susan G. Komen logos for interested Rplate consumers who wish to contribute to, and display their support for, the organization. 

Neville Boston, Reviver Auto co-founder and chief executive, said the ability to generate DMV-approved digital cause plates individually by consumers is a key feature of the Rplate. Because it is digital, the Rplate can simplify the cause plate process for charitable organizations and the DMV while allowing consumers to more easily support their favorite organization. 

Reviver notes that the stamped metal license plate has been around for 125 years. The Rplate transforms that plate into what it describes as a “sleek, digital, high-definition display” that it says will offer new efficiencies and benefits.

The Rplate’s connected car platform will soon automate DMV renewals, replacing legacy stickers with digital decals, and add new levels of personalization to the license plate, including promoting charitable causes such as Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County, passion for a sports team, or even a child’s academic/athletic achievements via DMV-approved personalized messages (such as “Support Our Troops,” “God Bless America,” and “I’d Rather Be Running”). 

As part of the partnership with Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County, specific Rplates will be sold in California with Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles branding and messaging. A portion of each sale will be donated to Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County. Reviver Auto will participate in events with Susan G. Komen to raise awareness about the organization, while Rplate users can proudly support the cause on their plate. 

“At Susan G. Komen we are always looking for ways to expand awareness and increase our opportunities to further our communities’ access to healthcare. Funds raised through the Rplate will help us do that,” said Mark K. Pilon, executive director of Susan G. Komen, Los Angeles County, in a news release.  “Being on the cutting-edge of the digital revolution is an important way for us to reach our community, and working with Reviver Auto enables us to not only raise funds with a much more efficiently implemented cause plate, but also to make our message more digitally mobile.” 

The Rplate launched onto California roads in mid-2018 under pilot and anticipates expansion into new states in 2019. The use of digital license plates is fully authorized for Arizona; legislation has been passed in Texas and Florida, with Washington State passing legislation to conduct a digital license plate study. 

The Rplate is available in California through participating auto dealerships, pro shops such as Al & Ed’s Autosound, and for preorder at the Reviver Auto website, www.reviverauto.com.  Consumers who are interested in a Susan G. Komen-branded Rplate or adding a Susan G. Komen logo will be able to order online directly from Reviver Auto’s website.

The Jim Ellis Automotive Group wants everyone who comes to one of their showrooms to be in a giving mood like company leadership.

Jim Ellis is again partnering with the Marine Toys for Tots program, but the relationship has been amped up a few notches with the automotive group offering the chance to win gas cards and a grand prize shopping spree to individuals helping the dealerships bless children at Christmas this year.

All 17, Jim Ellis family owned and operated dealerships in Atlanta, Buford, Kennesaw and Marietta serve as collection sites for Toys for Tots and will be collecting toys through Dec. 15th at close of business. Each year, the Jim Ellis dealerships also partner with the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association (MAADA) as the association works with Toys for Tots to equip each of the Jim Ellis dealerships to serve as collection sites for this program.

The public can get involved in this initiative by bringing a new unwrapped toy to any of the Jim Ellis dealerships. These donations will go to make the holidays brighter for children in the surrounding communities in the hopes that every child will receive a gift this holiday season.

“Our Jim Ellis dealerships partner with MAADA and Toys for Tots year after year and have great success in collecting toys for children in need,” said Jim Ellis Automotive Group president and chief executive officer Jimmy Ellis. “This year we wanted to step things up a few notches and really make our customers and the local communities surrounding our dealerships aware of this initiative and how they can get involved.

“Christmas is a time of giving, and we want to do our part to make sure all children in our communities are blessed during the Christmas season,” Ellis continued.

As a way of saying thank you to individuals who contribute at one of the Jim Ellis locations to the Toys for Tots campaign this holiday season, the first 25 people who make a toy donation at each location will receive a $10 QuikTrip gift card.

Every customer that makes a qualifying toy donation during normal business hours through Dec. 15 will be entered for a chance to win a $2,500 shopping spree. Each toy donated qualifies as one entry for the chance to win the shopping spree.

Full contest details can be found here.

According to the Toys for Tots website, the organization was started in 1947 by the United States Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks when his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to children in need. The program has expanded throughout the years and today donates an average of 18 million toys to less fortunate children each year.

The Jim Ellis partnership with Toys for Tots is made possible by the MAADA, an organization made up of hundreds of franchised dealers from the 18-county area surrounding Atlanta. MAADA’s pre-existing relationship with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has allowed Jim Ellis Automotive to be part of this exciting opportunity each year.

“The Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association, comprised of over 140 franchised new car and truck dealer-members, believes very strongly in supporting efforts that improve the lives of the citizens of our community. That commitment to community service is especially important when it comes to helping Metro Atlanta’s less fortunate children,” said J.W. Southwick, director of marketing and social media at MAADA.

“The Holiday Season is one of joy and celebration, but some parents struggle to make ends meet and that takes away from their ability to put gifts under the tree for their kids. For the tenth consecutive year, the dealers of MAADA are proudly supporting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign by serving as toy collection locations,” Southwick continued.

“Nearly 900,000 toys were collected during the 2017 campaign, and we’re hoping to help the Marines blast past the million-toy mark for this year’s drive,” Southwick went on to say.

As a new partner of the Jefferson Awards Foundation (JAF), KAR Auction Services has plans to recognize employees for their volunteer endeavors and dedication to community service early next year.

KAR announced Thursday that it will honor up to six employees who have been nominated by their co-workers to be a  2019 JAF national honoree.

One of the six nominated KAR employees will represent the company at the annual JAF national ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“Giving back to the community is one of KAR’s core values, and something we take very seriously in the areas where we work and live,” KAR chief executive officer and board chairman Jim Hallett said in a news release. “We know that KAR employees are active in their communities in many ways, donating their personal time for local organizations who rely on volunteers. I look forward to celebrating our employees who give back in such meaningful ways and personally thanking them for making a difference.”

It was over two decades ago, in 1972, that JAF was established by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, who has created and chaired programs for seven U.S. presidents.

Each year, JAF honors exemplary volunteers from across the country for the selfless work they perform, as well as the influence that they have on others who join them in their communities. The organization has recognized over 61,000 people since its inception, according to KAR.

“We are thrilled to partner with KAR Auction Services and welcome them into our Champions program,” said JAF CEO Hillary Schafer. “By celebrating outstanding service with employees who impact their communities, KAR Auction Services is setting an incredible example for organizations across the country and will impact lives for years to come.”

AutoNation announced Thursday that it has proposed a $300,000 matching grant to help combat homelessness across the Southeastern Florida area that is home to the company’s headquarters.

Until Dec. 31, AutoNation said it will now match up to $300,000 in donations made to the United We End Homeless project started by Broward County business leaders. The joint initiative is led by United Way of Broward County, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and the Broward Business Council on Homelessness.

“We are challenging the members of the Broward Business Community with a matching grant because we care about quality of life for our current and future residents, and the homeless individuals themselves,” chairman, chief executive officer and president at AutoNation and co-chairman of the Business Council Mike Jackson said in a news release. “We must do more to create a home for all.”

For months, the three agencies in charge of the United We End Homeless initiative have been working together to create a strategic multi-faceted approach to finding solutions that can end chronic homelessness in Broward County, according to AutoNation.

“Through the collaborative efforts of a strong and thriving business community, we are determined to find real-life solutions to this humanitarian crisis,” said Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. “We are confident that our business leaders will follow AutoNation's lead by providing the financial support we need to end homelessness."

Phase one of the United We End Homelessness initiative includes providing permanent housing units and ancillary services for the chronically homeless and later the expanding permanent housing solutions throughout Broward County, AutoNation said.

“We are very grateful to Mike Jackson and AutoNation for their leadership role in this initiative,” said Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO of United Way of Broward County. “Broward County is lucky to have corporate citizens like AutoNation who are willing to invest in the future of our community.”

In an effort to meet a $25,000 fundraising goal that will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, NextGear Capital is gearing up to launch a week-long national charity initiative on Monday.

NextGear Capital announced Thursday that a dollar from every car purchased at 22 participating U.S. auctions located across the country will be donated to the Memphis, Tenn.-based children’s research hospital as part of its first-ever “National Charity Week.”

“Supporting communities in which we work and live is one of our core values,” NextGear Capital senior director of community relations Patty Turner said in a news release. “I am excited to see this new initiative come to life and work with both our auction and dealer clients in communities across the nation. Our clients share our values of community support, and we look forward to working together.”

The 22 auctions participating in the company's six-day charitable promotion for St. Jude include:

• 1st Choice Auto Auction, Houston, Texas
• Akron Auto Auction, Akron, Ohio
• All Valley Dealer Auto Auction, North Hollywood, Calif.
• Alliance Auto Auction of Dallas, Dallas
• BA&W Enterprises - San Antonio Auto Auction, Live Oak, Texas
• Capital City Auto Auction, St Albans, W.Va.
• Columbus Fair Auto Auction, Columbus, Ohio
• Crosspoint NW, Portland, Ore.
• Greensboro Auto Auction, Greensboro, N.C.
• Kansas City Independent Auto Auction, Kansas City, Mo.
• Lynnway Auto Auction, North Billerica, Mass.
• Metro Auto Auction Phoenix, Phoenix
• Metro Auto Auction Dallas, Lewisville, Texas
• Music City Auto Auction, Spring Hill, Tenn.
• North Bay Auto Auction, Fairfield, Calif.
• Orlando Longwood Auto Auction, Longwood, Fla.
• Quincy Auto Auction, Quincy, Mass.
• South Florida Auto Auction, Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.
• Southern Auto Auction, East Windsor, Conn.
• Speedway Auto Auction of Charlotte, Concord, N.C.
• State Line Auto Auction, Waverly, N.Y.

Additionally, NextGear Capital's inaugural “National Charity Week” comes just a few weeks ahead of the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer in Indianapolis on Sept. 29, which NextGear Capital said it will sponsor for a third consecutive year.

According to NextGear Capital, it has raised over $30,000 since 2016 for St. Jude in support of research focused on finding cures and providing care for children.

Throughout June and last month, Florida’s Subaru of Pembroke Pines and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Southern Florida Chapter took part in the Subaru Loves to Care initiative for a third consecutive year to provide gift bags to patients who are currently battling cancer this summer.

Subaru Loves to Care, Subaru of America's 2-year-old health-concentrated initiative, has helped LLS and Subaru bring blankets and arts and crafts kits to about 70,000 patients at over 400 hospitals, the automaker announced Tuesday.

In a news release, Craig Zinn, president and chief executive officer of Craig Zinn Automotive Group, which owns Subaru of Pembroke Pines said, “We are happy to once again work with our valued community partner, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Southern Florida Chapter. Through the Subaru ‘Loves to Care’ health-focused initiative we can continue to support patients and their families battling cancer, and together help improve the well-being of our local communities.” 

In addition to Duane Massa, general manager at Subaru of Pembroke Pines, a team of volunteers and staff from LLS’s Southern Florida chapter visited patients at the Memorial Hospital West Cancer Institute in Pembroke Pines to hand-deliver bags of blankets to patients who are currently battling cancer.

“Through Subaru's ‘Loves to Care’ we were able to invite our employees and customers to join our Dealership in giving back, and together express how much we care about our hometown charity partners and the patients they serve,” said Massa.

Additionally, along with a blanket and personalized notes of inspiration that Subaru of Pembroke Pines asked employees and visiting customers to write, the bags also included “Here to Help” cards from LLS, which explain the organization’s mission and how patients and caregivers can find support groups and means of financial aid.

“Our organization is humbled by the support of this extraordinary event,” said DeAnn Hazey, executive director for LLS's Southern Florida chapter. “Patients and caregivers receive uplifting messages and comforting blankets to wrap themselves in the support provided by both Subaru of Pembroke Pines Family and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are working together to find a cure and provide critical patient care.”