How great does it feel to kick the accelerator in? To feel the rush of the wind on your face and the adrenaline in your blood?
How bad would it be if you were unable to do so because you’re paralyzed from the waist down?
How bad would it be if you couldn’t run with the wind?
That’s what many auto dealers think and feel, too.
Car Dealerships Increase Charitable Giving
A survey by NADA, the National Automobile Dealers Association, reported that more than 70% of all the car dealers in the continent donate to charitable events and the number is ever increasing. For example, Nissan donated $1 million to Habitat for Humanity in Aug 2017. The Volkswagen Group donated more than $8 million in just one year.
NADA further discovered that the amount donated and the number of dealers donating is on the rise – a 43% and 65% respectively. And it’s not just the big shots. There are many local dealers that are doing their part to give back.
The Garston Motors is one such business.
A Car Dealership in Canada is Transforming Lives
Garston Motors is a family owned business situated in the bubbling boroughs of Cambridge Ontario. Since its inception in 1999, the venture has become a pioneer in providing car-related services, from financing bad credit card loans to selling used cars at affordable prices. But that is not the only work they believe in.
Garston Motors realizes how important it is to give back to the community and has done so with its charitable activities. In just the last three years, they have raised $112,265 to support local charities changing lives for the better.
How It All Started
Garston Motors is all about family. The business was started with the motive of providing affordable cars to those who dream of buying one someday. It isn’t possible for someone working as waitress looking to start her own cupcake business to network without fast transportation is it? Yup, it’s totally 2 Broke Girls!
But, yes, the whole objective was to make buying a car easier than ever before. However, this wasn’t sufficient for the dealership. They wanted more, to touch more lives, to effect a change in the community. This desire, to be precise, this need, to work for the Greater Good, was driven home by a small incident.
Some of the team members of the Garston legacy were once traveling to import a few cars. During this journey, they witnessed something that would soon become the fire behind all their philanthropy. What they have seen with their eyes is probably not comprehendible; a motorbike speeding at around 200 mph was unable to stop and hit a young child, less than 5 years old.
What happened next was completely robotic, mechanical – the only thing that everyone could feel was shock. Some rushed to the boy and bent over him, coaxing him to hold on. The happy smile on his face when he was crossing the road diligently was now replaced with pain, excruciating pain. 911 was called and everybody waited with bated breath, praying silently in their hearts.
Many followed the ambulance and waited outside the operation theatre. The team of the Garston Motors describe that it was the worst time in their lives – the waiting, the ‘not knowing’ what would happen.
By the mercy of all the goodness in the world, the boy survived the accident but was in lots of pain. The longest bones in his body were broken. His distraught mother now wept outside the operation theatre lamenting about their financial condition and not knowing what to do.
That is when a man from the mob that had followed the ambulance stepped up and gave her the biggest blessing of her life. He worked for One 4 another International, an NGO committed to helping such kids. He said that they would be able to raise money for the surgery.
That’s when the Garston’s team took it upon themselves to do everything they could to help the child.
The rest is history! Garston Motors has donated to numerous charities including child welfare organizations. They take an active interest in each and every case. You can see pictures of kids who they have helped with happy smiles on their Facebook page.
The child from the accident is now walking, smiling, running and just living his life as was meant to be.
Talk about humanity! All is not lost in the world. There is still hope for us, for the world and Mother Nature, because we are all one big family!
