One of our passions here is giving back to the community that supports us. We will never be a business that takes and takes without helping as many people as we can along the way. So a few times every year we are presented with an opportunity to help someone without looking for anything in return. When we’re presented with this opportunity we go big. With all of the causes we have helped through the years and continue to support such as Brakes For Breasts, Repair it Forward (this is actually our own charity that my wife and I fund), Brightside for Families and Children,
A great group of people all helping with an awesome cause
Shriners Hospitals for Children, Melha Shriners, Open Pantry, and many more. Today presented us with an opportunity to partner with The Western Mass News Big Y SurPRIZE Squad and give an Auto Repair for Charity. I’ve got to say that this was my favorite of anything we’ve ever done!! There’s a twist at the end, Allow me to explain;
Western Mass News reached out to us about a week ago and told us that they were interested in surprising 1 customer by paying for up to $500 of their bill. We thought that this was a great idea! So we took it a few steps further….. First, we decided to match the $500 from Western Mass News and The Big Y SurPRIZE Squad. The reason being is that most people that are REALLY in need of repairs have put off issues for so long that there is subsequent damage (issues created by other issues) and the bill can get out of control quickly. We felt that $1,000 was a good number (It gets much better).
Ricardo Cumba
We first met Ricardo a few months back. We see a few thousand customers every year and this class act stood out among the rest because of how genuinely polite he was. He brought in his 2009 Honda Civic for a major issue and ultimately didn’t have all of the money to address all issues with the vehicle. Like many people he was left in a situation where he had to prioritize by repairing the issue that was causing the car not to run at all and push aside some other issues until he could get some more money together. The hardship comes in because Ricardo is Active Duty in The US Army National Guard, has 2 children (1 of which turns 5 today), and a baby on the way. He’s doing everything he can to make ends meet for his family and to provide for them, so even though there are issues with his car he just has other priorities that top that list. Which we can all relate to. Ricardo puts his butt on the line for us protecting our country, the least we could do is fix his car for him. To learn more about this repair process you can find it here.
Take a minute to watch the story; Western Mass News – WGGB/WSHM
So as promised, there was a twist at the end. Ricardo’s bill came out to $1,000 (slightly over actually). We took the $1,000 ($500 from us and $500 from The Western Mass News Big Y SurPRIZE Squad) and gave it all to Shriners Hospitals for Children. Then we paid the remainder of his bill for him. The hospital is in need of an EOS Imaging x-ray machine that will help assess the needs of children by using Ultra-safe low dose radiation technology that reduces the risk of cancer for patients who receive repeated x-rays. It uses Nobel-Prize winning technology. This machine will cost just under $900,000.
I could probably use a lesson in handwriting, or just print checks like other businesses do.
Thanks to Western Mass News, Brittany Decker, The Big Y SurPRIZE Squad, Melha Shriners, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and our wonderful staff that fixed Ricardo’s car. Today was a great an awesome day!!!
If you’re interested in donating to Shriners Hospitals for Children you can click here. Every bit helps….
Are you or do you know an Automotive Technician that shares the same passion for helping the community and fixing cars as we do? We’re looking to hire 1 more Superstar Technician. Learn more here.
“I can’t believe this happened to me and my family. I do my job because I love it. I’ve never looked for any recognition and never will. But to be noticed in this way and receive a gift like this… It’s really special. This is something I will never forget. Thank you to everyone that made this possible for me and my family. You don’t know how much it means to us.”
Ricardo Cumba
Westfield, MA