Vic Vaughan Family Foundation Donates $50,000 To Youth Program
Vic Vaughan Family Foundation (VVFF), the philanthropic branch of Vaughan Automotive, donated $50,000 to Love Kendall County Kids, a youth program designed to assist children in Kendall County in any capacity. The donation covered the entire cost of the Food 4 Kids Program and the Camps 4 Kids Program, two programs that support children during the non-school hours of the summer. In addition, the donation was used to support families in desperate need of required house repairs for a safe living environment.
Love Kendall County Kids operates with 100% volunteer labor and collaborates with churches, companies, institutions of higher learning and other organizations to offer lunches, camp scholarships and year-round assistance to local children and families facing food insecurity. “This donation is going to make an enormous difference for the kids of Kendall County,” said Beth Webster, Love Kendall County Kids Board Chair. “Not only is this donation going to help with the Food 4 Kids Program, but it will also allow our organization to double the number of scholarships given to the children of Kendall County, allowing them to enroll in camps at places like Boerne Soccer Club, the Boys & Girls Club, Cibolo Nature Center, the YMCA and many more. We are so grateful to the Vic Vaughan Family Foundation for truly understanding the needs of our community and improving the lives of children in Kendall County.”
Vic Vaughan, owner of VVFF in Boerne, Texas, has continuously given back to the community that has supported him over the years, and he formed the foundation to do just that. Previously, the foundation made sizable donations to other organizations, such as Hill Country Family Services and Fill Country Daily Bread. The donation to Love Kendall County Kids furthers the foundation’s mission to support the community by helping to eradicate hunger in their local communities and assisting underprivileged women and children.
Gene Messer Ford Stepped Up to Support Tornado Victims
A devastating tornado hit Perryton in June 2023 and caused devastating destruction. Gene Messer Ford and Patriot Roofing and Construction Group were quick to jump into action to help the victims, collecting food and clothing donations, raising money and holding a cookout for all Perryton residents, first responders and volunteers.
Even after two weeks, the support was still going strong, and they were making quick work of the debris, working to get residents back on their feet as soon as possible. Jeremy Chastain of Gene Messer Ford said, “If it wasn’t for the community supporting us, we wouldn’t be here. So it’s just another way of giving back to the community to support them in this time of need.”
Everyone’s efforts demonstrated their commitment to supporting the community and those in need. They hope to continue to make a positive impact in the community and provide relief to those who need it most.
Hall Buick GMC Donates to Texas Wounded Warriors for the 13th Consecutive Year
The Hall family has donated a portion of the sale of each vehicle sold from Hall Buick GMC of Tyler and Hall Chevrolet Buick GMC of Canton to the Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation (TWWF) for the 13th year in a row. This year, the Halls proudly presented a $16,700 check to the TWWF during a ceremony at Hall Buick GMC in Tyler. With this recent addition, the Halls have now raised over $200,000 for the TWWF.
“We are proud to participate in the Texas Wounded Warriors Foundation,” Pam Hall said. “… There are a lot of military people in our family … We all know the need to help the wounded warriors that come back home and don’t have the support. This is what Dick (Goetz, Chairman) and his whole organization do and do so well.”
The Texas Wounded Warrior Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness, to honor and to empower our Wounded United States Military Warriors who live in Texas and surrounding states. They provide funding to veterans who were injured from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to offset some of the basic costs of living as a result of caring for those injuries. They also work closely with other organizations to provide services such as handicap upgrades to housing, transportation to and from medical appointments and many more.
“We are most appreciative of what the Hall family has done for us over the past (13) years,” Goetz said. “We are right at $200,000 that they have raised for us. It has been tremendous. We have been able to take these funds to help wounded warriors all over the state.”
For more information, to donate or volunteer with the TWWF, call (903) 918-2210 or visit their website www.txwoundedwarrior.com.
Sam Pack Auto Group Grants Cancer Patient a Little Wish
Greg Dace has always loved DJing. In college, Greg became a DJ and said, “I would do it for free” because he loved it so much. However, after college, he got married, had a family and had to trade in his passion of DJing for a job in sales. He missed being a DJ and wanted to get back into it.
Last year, Greg was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, just a few years after losing both his mom and sister to cancer. Medical bills were piling up and it was impossible to afford them and DJ equipment. Luckily, Greg’s sister knew just what to do. She lied to Greg and told him they were going to attend a meeting with a cancer support organization. When the meeting started, she told him, “Sam Pack Auto Group is granting you a Little Wish.”
Sam Pack Auto Group gave Greg a $500 gift card to help pay for necessities during treatment. Then, they gifted him another $1,500 to fix his truck and, most importantly, purchase new DJ equipment.
This wish helped strengthen his journey and gave him hope for after treatment. “It gives me so much encouragement to know someone who doesn’t even know me and invested in me,” Greg said. “It’s given me so much hope.”
Sam Pack Auto and WFAA have teamed up to help members of the community when they need it most. To learn more or submit a nomination for someone who deserves to have their Little Wish granted, click on the following link:
Midland Dealerships Partner in Joint Blood Donation Drive
In July 2023, Classic Honda of Midland and Mercedes-Benz of Midland partnered in a joint blood donation drive to benefit the local community. Not only did this event support the critical need for blood donations, it raised awareness about the importance of giving back to those in need.
The blood was donated to Vitalant, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing a safe and ample blood supply to communities across the nation. General Manager Micheal Mazarakes of Mercedes-Benz of Midland was there to show support for the drive. Owner Joey Gabarda and General Sales Manager Ben Bazi of Classic Honda of Midland personally donated blood to contribute to the cause. The hope is by promoting events such as this one, other businesses and community members will be inspired to get involved and support a vital cause, too.
Pegues-Hurst Motor Company Donates to Local High School
The Pegues-Hurst Motor Company in Longview partnered with Hallsville Independent School District (ISD) to support the automotive training program at Hallsville High School. Pegues-Hurst donated a vehicle to be used by students in the program. The 2011 Ford Focus will be used to help keep the automotive training program on the cutting edge of education to better prepare students to meet industry needs.
Because of rapidly changing industry standards and advancements in technology across the industry, the school has worked carefully alongside industry partners to make sure the automotive training program is aligned more closely with real-world applications. This includes the use of a program developed by the Texas Education Agency specifically for automotive training programs.
“The whole idea is the community being part of the education process and giving the student a jumpstart on the industry,” said Pegues-Hurst Motor Company Service Manager Doug Rosonke. He continued, “With the donation of this vehicle, it gives Hallsville ISD something more current that’s more like what we see in our everyday workings at the dealership — It brings real-world situations right into the classroom.”
The donation of the car to the Hallsville ISD comes after the district received national accreditation by the ASE Education Foundation in Maintenance and Light Repair. The ASE Education Foundation is a non-profit independent organization that accredits entry-level technician training programs against standards developed by the automotive industry. There are over 2,300 programs accredited by the ASE Education Foundation, with 2.1 million program graduates.
Cleo Bay Subaru of Killeen Shares the Love
This past August, Cleo Bay Subaru donated $16,085 to Friends of the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, also known as Wreath for Veterans. The donated money was raised during Subaru’s annual Share the Love Event.
Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, is the largest military base in Texas, covering 340 square miles. Because of this, there are a large number of soldiers and veterans in close proximity to El Paso and the dealership. Jon Locklin, Sales Manager at Cleo Bay Subaru, said, “It only makes sense to pair up with a veterans charity. It helps the majority of our population here — retired, active, spouse, family.”
Jean Shine, Founder and Executive Director of Wreaths for Vets, said the donation was a “turning point.” She continued, “Our dream is expanding, and this will kind of kick off our building.” Shine has been working with state officials in efforts to purchase a parcel of land at the cemetery so they can construct a building large enough to store 60,000 wreaths.
Hearing Shine describe the importance of the donation to the Wreaths for Vets organization, Locklin commented that he knew his dealership made the right decision.
Since 2008, when Cleo Bay Subaru opened, it has been donating portions of funds from auto sales to local organizations. That same year, Subaru of America began its annual Share the Love Event which runs about a month and a half, from the middle of November through the first part of January.
During the event, Subaru of America earmarks $250 of every sale for one of the national organizations it supports. In addition, each local Subaru dealership earmarks a portion of the sale for the hometown charity it is donating to that year.
Hicks Family Subaru Adopts Local Classrooms
On September 11, teachers at Gloria Hicks Elementary arrived at their afternoon staff meeting and received a huge surprise. Through the initiative “Subaru Loves Learning,” Hicks Family Subaru gifted each teacher a generous school supply kit.
But that wasn’t all; a second announcement was made by Charlie Hicks, President and CEO of the dealership. Hicks Family Subaru partnered with AdoptAClassroom.org and would be donating $20,000 to help supply classrooms for the rest of the school year. That means that each teacher could receive $500 to stock their classroom with supplies.
According to My eLearning World, teachers, on average, spend $820 on their individual classrooms. Most teachers spend more than what has been allotted to them, which means money is coming out of their own pockets.
“They’ve spent so much of their personal money trying to stock these classrooms with supplies. This is just a little bit way of offering some relief. To be able to do it for every classroom and every teacher [is] truly a blessing,” Hicks said. Gloria Hicks was there to help with the announcement and said, “It just thrills me to see the teachers so happy.”
The teachers were excited and planned to use the money to help with supplies and keep the children engaged in learning.
Leo Martin Chevrolet
Leo Martin Chevrolet recently received an award for their 50th anniversary. Congratulations!
Toyota of Victoria Provides Backpacks to Local Children
In early August, Toyota of Victoria hosted a backpack giveaway aimed at supporting students in need for the upcoming school year. A large crowd lined up as early as 10:30 AM to take advantage of the generous initiative. The majority of the 150 backpacks were given out within just 12 minutes. Recipients’ backpacks were filled with an assortment of supplies, including pencils, crayons, glue, colored pencils, pens, markers, spiral and composition books.
In reference to the success of the event, the sales manager, Mark Hernandez, said, “To be able to provide them with [school supplies] is a big deal; we don’t ever want anybody to feel like they are without, especially on the first day.”
