Harv Craven

Through their many years of involvement with Special Olympics BC and the New Car Dealers Association of BC, Ken and Dianne Griffith have been eloquent and vocal supporters of Special Olympics athletes, and their next generation is continuing the tradition.

The owners of Richport Ford and Signature Mazda, Ken and Dianne Griffith were instrumental in the early years of the New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC Auction, generously assisting with item solicitation, cash prizes, vehicle donations, and event logistics when the auction was a gala evening affair. Their children, Deryl and Vikki, are now working in the industry themselves and Deryl is continuing the family’s kind support of Special Olympics by assisting with solicitation of auction items and cash donations.

Ken and Dianne Griffith have seen firsthand how much athletes with intellectual disabilities appreciate the opportunities they have with Special Olympics, and the support they receive from sponsors such as BC’s New Car Dealers.

“With our involvement over the years, we really do have an appreciation of what Special Olympics represents to these committed athletes. We’ve been to a number of functions over the years, and when you see the appreciation from these athletes toward the whole Special Olympics process, it’s just unbelievable,” Ken Griffith says.

“It’s been a very big part of our lives, being part of Special Olympics BC,” Dianne Griffith said.

He and Dianne got involved initially because of their active involvement with the auto industry and the relationship between B.C.’s New Car Dealers and Special Olympics. Their own work in the industry grew in parallel with the relationship that bloomed between the New Car Dealers and SOBC; after getting into the industry in 1970, they purchased Richport Ford in 1986, around the time there was a great deal happening around the development of the New Car Dealers Association and the relationship with Special Olympics. “It embraced us,” Ken Griffith said. “The timing was perfect.” They purchased Signature Mazda in 2000, now the top Mazda dealership in Western Canada.

When Ken and Dianne Griffith attended the first-ever auction gala, they got hooked, enjoying the chance to feel part of a cohesive group with fellow members of their own industry while supporting a great cause, and went on to become very involved in the auction and the New Car Dealers Association. Ken was a member of the NCDA board for a number of years and served as President in 1992 and 1993, going on to win the Maclean’s Dealer of Excellence Award in 1994, while Dianne was an active member of the New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC Auction Committee for a number of years.

Ken Griffith said it was thrilling to watch the relationship between the New Car Dealers and Special Olympics BC grow and see how dealers embraced Special Olympics around the province; he sees a good fit between the two. “It just grew and it was a win-win for everyone,” he said.

Dianne Griffith recalls the power of watching a Special Olympics track-and-field meet in Coquitlam where a teenage athlete hit the finish line and just kept running. “He was so excited that he could do it,” she said. “They’re just such genuine sportspeople, and they’re so thrilled at what they do.”

She also recalls Special Olympics athletes being thrilled to help out with the New Car Dealers’ initiatives, assisting with the live auction events and necessary background tasks like sending mail. “They really enjoyed helping us help them,” she said.

Deryl Griffith, currently the General Sales Manager of Signature Mazda, is following in his parents’ footsteps of generous support of the auction. Like his parents, he sees great value in the event and the cause, and feels the significance of being able to give opportunities. “Special Olympics gives opportunities for adults and kids to compete and make friends, friends for life – I’ve met a few athletes and it’s amazing the impact it has to their life,” he says.

For Dick Lau, Dealer Principal of Cam Clark Ford Lincoln Ltd., giving to support Special Olympics is a move led by the New Car Dealers Association of BC and made all the more meaningful by the athletes.

“We believe in the work [Special Olympics] does, and the athletes are the stars, always reminding us why we are doing this,” says Lau, also a Director of the New Car Dealers Association. “You can see how excited they are. It’s very tangible.”

Lau’s relationship with New Car Dealers associations and Special Olympics spans two provinces and many years. Lau has been in the industry for 37 years, getting his start in sales and moving into dealer and partner roles in 1995. He began in Alberta, where his family currently lives, and moved into B.C. almost 13 years ago.

Lau was first introduced to Special Olympics in Alberta, where the provincial industry association is a significant supporter of the Special Olympics movement, as in B.C. Over his years there he met many of the athletes and was “always very inspired by them.”

During his years in B.C., Lau and his dealership have given generously to the annual New Car Dealers Foundation of BC/Special Olympics Auction, the vital fundraiser that supports Special Olympics BC and the work of the foundation. This year, Lau and Cam Clark Ford Lincoln also stepped up to help the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver, donating the use of vehicles at the Games. The support of the New Car Dealers helped make the first National Games to be held in our province since 1990 a great success full of many inspiring and empowering experiences.

Lau said the athletes motivated them to go above and beyond by giving to the Games.

“We really believe in the cause, and we admire the people working hard at it – and we adore the athletes,” he says.

Lau also credits the dedicated coaches and volunteers who give their time to Special Olympics and create such an impactful organization.

Lau believes strongly in giving back, not only to charitable causes but also to the industry that has helped his business. He has been a Director of the New Car Dealers Association of BC for the last five years and was involved with the Alberta association as well. Many Dealers give so generously to Special Olympics and charities in their communities, and Lau says it’s rewarding for them as well as to the charities benefitting from their support.

“We get as much out of it as we put into it,” he says.

Much of Lau’s family is still in Alberta, but here in B.C. his son Jacob is involved in the industry, currently as the Cam Clark Ford Lincoln Sales Manager. Lau is excited and proud that his son is in the business as well.

In 2014, Special Olympics BC is honoured to celebrate the 30-year relationship between our movement and the New Car Dealers of BC, a much-appreciated partnership that has played such a critical part in SOBC’s significant growth over the last three decades.

In 1984, Harry “Red” Foster, the noted broadcaster and founding champion of Special Olympics Canada, brought the story of Special Olympics to a meeting of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association. Howard Carter was so touched and inspired that he knew he had to get the automotive community involved with Special Olympics. Upon his return to B.C. from those meetings, he spoke with other dealers about truly making a difference with Special Olympics.

In the fall of 1984, what was then called the B.C. Automobile Dealers Association became a sponsor of SOBC, and Howard joined the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Canada the following year. Coincidentally, he was also the chair of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, a position that provided him with a great opportunity to build the relationship between these two organizations.

In the early years of the relationship, the Special Olympics organization was just building in BC, and dealers provided incredibly important for a variety of initiatives. As SOBC was building its provincial reach, dealers would provide transportation to staff when they visited communities looking to start or build programs. Dealers also donated funds to SOBC.

In 1987, dealer support for SOBC focused on a major fundraising initiative. Sherrold Haddad chaired the first Casino Auction in support of SOBC, an event that raised $50,000. In its second year, the Casino Auction grew substantially, raising $120,000.

It was a true loss to everyone including the automotive community and SOBC when Howard Carter passed away in 1988. Howard was a great leader and believed strongly in the power of the automotive community working together to create change. Howard was so respected that his friends and peers from the automotive industry created an endowment fund for SOBC in Howard’s name. Today, the Howard Carter Fund has grown to approximately $750,000 and provides ongoing revenue to SOBC to support its programs and initiatives.

In 1990, SOBC hosted the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games. Again, Special Olympics turned to the automotive community for support, and dealers generously responded to help make the first National Games in our province a truly remarkable event. George Preston stepped forward and volunteered to take on the position of Chair of the Games Organizing Committee, and the Games was an outstanding success.

In 2014, the National Games will return to our province for the first time since 1990. Reflecting this year on SOBC’s 30-year relationship with the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. shows how very far we’ve come together.

From what began as a handful of weekend events, the SOBC organization has grown considerably to where today it provides year-round sport training and competition in 55 communities around the province. More than 4,200 individuals with an intellectual disability train in one or more of the 18 sports offered, and more than 3,300 volunteers joyfully give their time and skills to help SOBC athletes thrive through Special Olympics.

With the help of the vital support from B.C.’s New Car Dealers, SOBC has grown significantly over the past 30 years both in the number of communities we serve, and in the scope of our initiatives to help athletes. We are focused on getting more individuals with an intellectual disability active and involved.

Athletes as young as two years of age now benefit from programs that focus on vital motor and sport skills, and developing a love for sport. From this early age right through to those who are in the 80s, SOBC athletes benefit greatly from their involvement, and are being supported and encouraged to improve their health and wellbeing while enjoying fun and friendship through sport.

As SOBC has grown and expanded, the support provided by B.C.’s New Car Dealers has grown and changed too. In the late 1990s, seeking to expand the auction so that dealers outside the Lower Mainland could participate, the dinner/auction began the transition from an event to what is now an online auction. Under the committee chaired by Tom Harris, this transition started in 1998 with dealers bidding by phone, email, or fax the first year.

Over the next couple of years, bidding by fax and email were replaced with bidding online through a dedicated auction website. Throughout the technological changes, the New Car Dealers Foundation of B.C./Special Olympics Auction remains a very successful initiative that provides significant funding to SOBC.

In addition to the auction, dealers continue to support SOBC in a number of different ways including hosting fundraising events, making donations, generating awareness, or soliciting volunteers.

It was Howard Carter’s dream to have the automotive community involved with SOBC, and now, 30 years later, his dream lives stronger than ever.

When Applewood Kia Dealer Principal Darren Graham walked into the Opening Ceremonies of the 2013 Special Olympics BC Summer Games alongside Vancouver Canucks legend Trevor Linden, leading the team of 375 SOBC athletes and coaches from Vancouver Island, he was right in the middle of the powerful spirit of support, encouragement, empowerment, pride, and joy that Special Olympics is all about.

“It’s quite impressive to be in a group that large – certainly a very positive, warm, loving environment, not just the athletes but the coaches as well,” Graham said. “The people who are involved in that are there because they love it. When you parachute into that, you can certainly feel it.”

Founder of the 15-year-old Applewood Kia franchise, Graham and his dealership actively give to a number of non-profit organizations in the Langley and Surrey communities, and they support SOBC through the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. Graham donates to and support the annual New Car Dealers Foundation of B.C./Special Olympics Auction, such as the generous donation he and Raymond Van Empel have given in the last three years, use of their co-owned Las Vegas condo and airfare.

“My exposure to Special Olympics has been through the lens of the New Car Dealers, and I think it’s fantastic. There seems to be a lot of people involved, and very good support of the programs,”

Graham took part in the 2013 SOBC Provincial Games Opening Ceremonies as a member of the New Car Dealers Association Board of Directors, a role he has served in for two years. Before joining the board, Graham was involved with the association for approximately eight years through working with subcommittees.

Applewood Kia is the oldest Kia dealership in the province, and in addition to giving to SOBC through the New Car Dealers Association, they support a wide range of local causes including tree-planting to reforest areas devastated by pine beetles, Cops for Cancer, Semiahmoo House, and Guildford Athletic Club.

“I’m pleased to be in a position to be able to do these sorts of things,” Graham said.

Playing a part in the SOBC Games Opening Ceremonies was another pleasing experience.

“It was quite an honour to be involved in those Opening Ceremonies, especially being next to Trevor Linden,” Graham said. “There’s an all-consuming sort of love in that group of people.”