Jim Appleton of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers is proud of the generosity of New Jersey’s 510 neighborhood new car dealerships, which he said contribute nearly $16 million each year to hundreds of organizations.

“Our members’ ongoing relationship with The Valerie Fund is a testament to the incredible work the Fund does to support thousands of children and their families in New Jersey,” Appleton said in a news release.

On Monday, the coalition said that New Jersey Dealerships continue to unite in support of the Valerie Fund, which supports children with cancer and blood disorders.

The coalition first launched a fundraising initiative in 2014, and it went on to become an ongoing partnership that has raised more than $2 million for The Valerie Fund and hundreds of children.

More on the Valerie Fund, which was founded more than 40 years ago in memory of Valerie Goldstein: It provides individualized care to children with cancer and blood disorders at medical centers close to home. The organization does that because it believes healing of the children is most effective when they are treated emotionally, socially and developmentally, as well as medically.

New Jersey’s new car and truck dealerships, according to the coalition, have long served as “generous champions of philanthropy.” They have supported charitable causes from local sports teams and national organizations.

More than 200 dealerships throughout New Jersey have embraced the Valerie Fund campaign over the past five years. Salespeople have shown enthusiasm for The Valerie Fund when speaking with customers, and those customers became aware of the dealerships’ donations after test drives and vehicle purchases.

Some manufacturers matched those contributions.

“I am so proud of the auto dealers of New Jersey for coming together across all brands to support the more than 6,000 children and families who benefit from the treatment and support provided by The Valerie Fund each year,” said Judy Schumacher, president of Schumacher Chevrolet Group in New Jersey, in a news release.