Pub. 56 2015-2016 Issue 2

24 W hen you pull in to the new Gold Certified Toyota dealership in Bastrop, Texas, you will see an array of beautiful Toyotas on the lot, a state of the art facility, and a showroom timeline commemorating the history of the area. What you also may notice is something typically not seen in a car dealership or any retail business for that matter. There might be a striking pink bus in the parking lot or slot machines and blackjack tables in the showroom. Perhaps even a gumbo feast typical of Opelousas or Breaux Bridge, but not Bastrop, Texas. The Liriano’s, Carlos and Laurie, who opened their store in 2012, have truly created a dealership full of surprises for the folks in Bastrop and the surrounding counties. Like so many dealer families throughout the state, these Louisiana natives wasted no time in getting involved and making a difference. The Pink Bus that you might see is for free mammograms for underserved women in a multicounty area who perhaps don’t have health insurance or who have no other opportunities for a regular screening for breast cancer. Provided by Seton Hospital in Austin and funded by Lost Pines Toyota, the bus is a full service facility that has all of the equipment and medical staff necessary to do a full screening for these deserving women. There has already been early detection for some patients who otherwise would have been diagnosed too late for treatment. Dawn Parsons, Clinical Manager for Seton Cancer Screening describes the Pink Bus as a one-stop shop for women who have multiple barriers to care, and they can get everything they need done right there in the bus clinic at one time. To pay for the extraordinary community service, Lost Pines Toyota was turned into a casino with jingling slot machines, shuf- fling cards and the whir of a roulette wheel. The Pink Casino was a night of fun for the community with all of the proceeds going to area women. A signature feature of the Liriano’s community outreach is their personal involvement in every project. They are there working, helping, taking care of people and insuring the success of the programs that benefit so many others. Nothing is more emblematic of this hands-on family endeavor than Laurie Liriano, once every month making 20 gallons of au- thentic Louisiana gumbo for anyone in the community who wants to come to the dealership for lunch on Gumbo Friday. Of course Carlos prepares the boudin for the gumbo but Laurie is the chef and even personally serves the multitude of guests who love her gumbo. BastropMayor Ken Kesselus, a regular at Gumbo Friday, says he has never seen a business engage the community as has Lost Pines Toyota and the Liriano’s. He relates that Carlos is everywhere in the community, is involved in everything, everybody knows himand they are so lucky to have him. One of the Gumbo Fridays hosted representatives of the athletic departments of four area high schools who each received a $1,000.00 check from Lost Pines Toyota. Among his myriad of other volunteer projects, Carlos has been working for several years with Bastrop High School to certify their automotive training program to provide qualified techs upon high school graduation. Over 120 freshmen and sophomore students are enrolled in the auto tech program under the direction of instructor Les Hudson. Carlos and other community leaders have partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission and Austin Community College to bring the resources necessary to make this unique school to work program a success. TADA’s Chuck Price has brought Ric Menard, Director of the Automotive YouthEducation System (AYES) into the fold and they are already making a difference in this dealer created program that will benefit all of Central Texas. The energy, spirit, skill and sense of community that dealer families such as the Liriano’s bring to Texas is reflected throughout our state in 284 towns in every corner of Texas, but few do it better and with more passion than Carlos and Laurie Liriano.  Carlos and Laurie Liriano Giving Back with a Cajun Flair