Auto dealers are stepping up their community outreach during the COVID-19 outbreak, and an umbrella group has been formed to promote their good deeds and help them find where their generosity is most needed.
The Do-Good Auto Coalition, organized by New York-based Constellation Agency, brings together dealers and others in the automotive industry with those seeking assistance in their communities.
"Most of the dealers I know are already heavily involved with their communities," said Constellation Agency CEO Diana Lee. "Amid the Covid-19 shutdown, they see greater needs and want to do more. So together we formed the Do-Good Auto Coalition."
Lee told Automotive News that the first dealers to get involved in the coalition were Shari Miller of Miller Buick-GMC and Bridget Beyer of Beyer Family Automotive Group, both in New Jersey. Miller and her team wrote letters to elderly people who might be lonely during the quarantine; Beyer delivered respirators to Morristown Medical Center.
In addition to publicizing good deeds, the coalition, through its website, acts as a broker of sorts between organizations that need volunteers and dealers who want to help.
As of last week, the coalition had 50 participants between dealers and community volunteers.
