Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 4

 MAKING A DIFFERENCE — CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 Graham International &GrahamTruck Centers —Sherman, TX We have purchased drums of hand sanitizer and will begin pack- aging it in 1-gallon jugs for sale and distribution. This required finding containers, pumps, and having labels printed, but it remains a commodity that is difficult to find in our community. Brett Graham, CEO, Owner The Toyota/Lexus Minority Owners Dealership Association (TLMODA) / Lost Pines Toyota — Bastrop, TX The Toyota/Lexus Minority Owners Dealership Association (TLMODA) is a diverse group that un- derstands the need to give back to the communities in which they live and serve. To help, the TLMODA gave away 4,800 grocery boxes in 17 states and 24 cities on Friday, May 22nd. Each grocery box contained enough non-perishable items, like boxes of cereal and canned goods, to feed a family of four. Each box was carefully packed and assembled by Salvation Army staff wearing masks and gloves — ensuring all CDC standards were met for packaging goods. As part of this effort, Carlos Liriano and his team distributed 240 of these boxes at Lost Pines Toyota in Bastrop, Texas, on May 22nd. In total, over 1,200 mothers, fathers, kiddos, grandmas and grandpas now have some much-needed groceries. Families also re- ceived gift cards to pick up other essentials they need. “They say ‘times are tough’ ... but a strong community is tougher!” said Liriano. Five Star Ford — Dallas, TX Lava Cantina in The Colony and Five Star Ford of Dallas are presenting a free Facebook stay at home concert series, “Flatten the Curve,” to bring some joy and entertainment to all of the people staying at home. This concert series supports local out of work arts/musicians to perform onstage while receiving tips. Some of the money raised is collected for Raising Cane’s “In the Moment Movement,” raising money for brave men and women work- ing on the front lines, with the proceeds going to Saint Jude’s children’s medical research hospital. The last 20 concerts had 418,955 Views, 3,104 Shares and 8,534 Comments and are still online for continued viewing. Ancira Enterprises — San Antonio, TX area The San Antonio Food Bank, The San Antonio Zoo and Mission Park Funeral homes have all been in the national news for their needs, innova- tions and part in the com- munity. When ca l led on by Jose Menendez to help the food bank, after long lines were displayed across the nation, we immediately jumped in with a $2,500 donation. We were sponsors of the San Antonio zoo’s drive-thru fiesta and then $5,000 sponsors of their new and in- novative Drive Through Zoo, which made CNN, and now many zoos are following suit. Finally, we were able to participate in the “Life Well Lived” series by Mission Park Funeral Homes. They were featured in the Wall Street Journal for having a Drive-In Viewing service for those who had passed so family members could attend. We participated in their Mother’s Day episode talking about outdoor activities moms can have fun doing. This video also features those who have recently passed in our community. April Ancira Being a part of a community starts in your backyard, and we at Five Star Subaru belong to Grapevine Chamber and Grapevine Rotary Club, where the motto is “Service above Self!” During the past few weeks, we at Sam Pack’s Five Star Subaru aligned with Grapevine Ro- tary to make sure Grapevine Fire Department received 1,000 N95 face masks to serve the Grapevine Community. Chief Darrell Brown was so thrilled that through our connections we were able to find masks and have them within a matter of hours. But that is not all! Our Customer Relations Manager at Five Star Subaru, Dee Boyett, is part of a volunteer club that calls people in the Grapevine area to make sure they have what they need groceries, running errands, walking dogs etc. More importantly, help with needs that might be hard to come by, like the police chief who needed thermometers to check his staff for the virus. Through the calling list, we found out Chief of Police Mike Hamlin and his crew needed thermometers. Within a few hours, we connected Deputy Superintendent Brad Schnautz with the chief of police. They had 11 thermometers at their station that very same day. Through the connections and part- nering of Sam Pack of Five Star Subaru with Grapevine Rotary, we were able to not only help our district, but as they heard of this news, other school districts began helping their local police stations too!! Dee Boyett, with two of her co-members from Grapevine Rotary, Jan Ramsey and Darlene Freed, has met to sew and make more masks for the police department and fire department, the dealership and the Rotary club alike. Another need came to our attention when GRACE, which is the Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange Center, called on us to help donatemasks, andwithin a day, we dropped off 200masks to them.They were so appreciative of the donation, the volunteers met us at the door and they actually cried about our generosity. Very near and dear to our hearts was a customer who Dee Boyett called on. He had fallen and broke his hip and needed help with his Subaru Forester for an overdue oil change, state inspec- tion and a recall. Just like that, she got in a loaner car and went to their house and picked up their Subaru and returned it that same afternoon. The customers could not believe the Five-Star Service they had received. This is what it means when you become more about our community when we go out of our way to build lifelong relationships. “Subaru's love promise is this; we do this because we feel it is the right thing to do!” Five Star Subaru — Grapevine, TX