Auto Dealers Seek to Raise $2 Million for Dealership Families Displaced by Louisiana Flooding
BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Peter Welch, president of the National Automobile Dealers Association, and Annette Sykora, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation, today arrived in the flood-ravaged areas of Baton Rouge, La., and announced they would seek to raise $2 million for new-car dealership families displaced by the flooding there.
Welch and Sykora are meeting this week with dealers and dealership employees to assess the need for financial assistance. Initial estimates indicate that more than 1,200 dealership families from 60 new-car dealerships in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas have been flooded out of their homes and desperately need financial assistance.
"At NADA, we view our dealerships as one big family. When a member of our family hurts, we all hurt," Welch said. "That's why it's time to come together and help our dealership family members who are hurting in Louisiana by contributing to the NADA Foundation's Emergency Relief Fund. We call on auto dealers across America to help raise funds to help families through the NADA Foundation's Emergency Relief Fund."
The Emergency Relief Fund provides dealership families with funds up to $1,500 affected by natural disasters. Dealership employees can apply for financial assistance through the NADA Foundation's Emergency Relief Fund. To date, the fund has supported more than 8,700 dealership families affected by natural disasters. To apply for assistance or to contribute to the fund, call 703.821.7102 or visit www.nada.org/emergencyrelief.
"The flooding in Louisiana has been described as the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy," said Sykora, who served as NADA chairman in 2008. "Now that the flood waters have receded the real work of rebuilding begins."
"Thousands of dealership employees and their families have suffered devastating losses from the recent flooding," Sykora added. "The need for financial assistance will be significant and will last for months to come."
NADA is calling on its members to donate online to the Emergency Relief Fund. Checks can be made payable to NADCF Emergency Fund, c/o NADCF, 8400 Westpark Drive, MS 7, Tysons, VA 22102. For more information, call 703.821.7233.
About NADA
NADA, founded in 1917, represents nearly 16,500 new-car and -truck dealerships, with both domestic and international franchises. For more information, visit www.nada.org.
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SOURCE National Automobile Dealers Association
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