CarMax believes proactively approaching a disaster plan — before the disaster strikes and on a long-term basis — is important. With that in mind, the company on Wednesday announced it has donated $50,000 to product philanthropy and purposeful giving organization Good360 to support disaster recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, Larry H. Miller Dealerships announced on Thursday that its employees — along with 85 vendors and business partners — raised $450,000 at this year’s Larry H. Miller Dealerships Golf Classic. The company said that donation was a record amount.

Those are two of the latest charitable efforts from the auto industry, and Good360 chief executive officer Howard Sherman described CarMax as “a socially responsible corporate partner who collaborates with us every day to tackle (the) key challenges in disaster giving.”

“Our partnership with CarMax and their long-term approach to disaster recovery allows Good360 to maximize our impact in these devastated areas for as long as we’re needed, ensuring that the right goods get to the right people at the right time during all phases of a disaster,” Sherman said in a news release.

Good360 said CarMax’s donation will be meaningful for regions recovering from a disaster. Because Good360 for every dollar received can distribute a minimum of $10 in needed goods, a $50,000 grant will help bring at least $500,000 in goods to communities seeing an impact from a disaster. Also, because the CarMax Foundation will provide a two-to-one match of associates’ donations to Good360, that effectively doubles every donated dollar’s impact, Good360 said. 

Also, Good360 in 2018 co-founded the Resilient Response initiative, which encourages companies to perform the best disaster-giving practices in addressing key issues and helping to build stronger communities so they can be better prepared to survive future disasters.

With preparation and planning, early response, and long-term rebuilding of strong communities, Good360 says it embraces “a holistic view of disaster recovery.” Working with local nonprofits and recovery agencies to determine disaster survivors’ exact needs, the organization says it works with its corporate partner network to acquire goods that it says are critically needed.

The organization says up to 60 percent of unsolicited goods donated during disasters historically go to waste or end up in landfills. Good360 also says long-term recovery often suffers because 70 percent of all giving happens only within the first two months after a disaster strikes.

CarMax director of community relations Leslie Parpart said CarMax puts people first by “helping our communities thrive and our associates share our passion for giving back.”

“We think it’s critical that, during a disaster, communities receive exactly what they need. We are proud to partner with Good360 to mobilize those resources,” Parpart said.

Larry H. Miller Dealerships shares that passion for giving, noting that during dinner after the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Golf Classic, the group of its employees, vendors and business partners presented a $450,000 check to the charitable arm of Larry H. Dealerships, Larry H. Miller Charities.

Jay Francis, executive vice president, corporate affairs & Miller Family Philanthropy said the funds raised at the 2019 Golf Classic will be distributed to charities in the seven states where Larry H. Miller Dealerships does business and will emphasize health and education while focusing on programs that serve women and children.

“These funds alone will help more than 60 nonprofit organizations, and when you add in employee and business contributions, we will contribute to nearly 100 charitable groups,” Francis said. 

More than $1.9 million has been raised for Larry H. Miller Charities since the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Golf Classic started in 2012. Larry H. Miller Charities then distributes the donations to qualified nonprofit organizations in communities the following states where the dealership group has locations: Utah, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico and Washington. In large part, funding for Larry H. Miller Charities is generated through Larry H. Miller companies and employee contributions.