New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC – 2017 Auction Review

Heartfelt thanks to all of the New Car Dealers and supporters who contributed to the success of the 2017 New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC Auction! This year’s event raised more than $178,000, raising the three-decade total to more than $4.7 million in support of Special Olympics BC and the work of the New Car Dealers Foundation.

This year’s auction included a much-appreciated milestone: Dealers donated the most cash pledges to date, helping ensure vital support for the charities. The 2017 auction included 282 popular prizes in the following categories: Automotive and Business, Food and Wine, Lifestyle, Media, and Sport and Travel.

Sincere thanks to the many Dealers who generously supported this year’s auction by making a cash pledge, donating auction items, soliciting donations, and/or bidding on items – please see the sidebar. Our deepest thanks also go to the dedicated auction committee, who so generously give countless hours to make this event a success for the charities: Manse Binkley of Harmony Honda and Harmony Acura, Doug Bower of the Vancouver Sun and The Province, Marnie Carter of the Carter Auto Family, John Chesman, Pamela Keith of the Dueck Auto Group, and Joe Mitchell of the Carter Auto Family.

At the 2017 Vancouver International Auto Show Gala, Special Olympics BC – Coquitlam athlete Adam Advocaat shared his experience of empowerment through Special Olympics and his gratitude for the support of the New Car Dealers. You help create critical change with Special Olympics BC’s year-round programs and opportunities for Advocaat and more than 4,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the province.

“For me, Special Olympics hasn’t always been just about the achievements on the field,” Advocaat said. “While the world looks at me and sees a bunch of ‘No, he can’t’s, my aims in life can be summed up with a simple, three world motto: ‘Yes, I can.’ I can say this because of the experiences that I’ve had through Special Olympics, both as an athlete, and as a leader. When I first started, I was a scared, shy and emotional child. In [my 20 years as a Special Olympics athlete] I’ve become a passionate, outgoing, and still emotional adult. I have a decent job that I’m told I am good at, I live an almost-independent life, and I’m surrounded by loving people with interests similar to mine, both within and outside of my Special Olympics life.

“Special Olympics relies on its sponsors like the New Car Dealers Association, and fundraising events such as the Auction, in order to give athletes experiences like the ones I have had. Without this support, the world for people like me would be very different in ways that I don’t even want to imagine.”

B.C.’s New Car Dealers have been helping Special Olympics BC change lives through the power of sport since 1984. The annual auction began in 1987 as the popular Casino Auction in support of SOBC, chaired by Sherrold Haddad. Over the last three decades, the auction has continually grown and changed, adopting new technology and tools to strengthen the event to provide significant funding to the New Car Dealers Foundation and Special Olympics BC.

The funds raised by the auction help Special Olympics BC transform lives and support the work of the New Car Dealers Foundation. The Foundation awards CarCareerBC education grants to eligible students in B.C. who wish to pursue post-secondary education or training leading to a career in the automotive industry. CarCareerBC grants provide financial support towards the cost of tuition and books for recipients enrolled in applicable apprenticeship, training or education.

In addition to supporting Special Olympics BC, the Foundation has also contributed funding to Georgian College, the University of Victoria, SOS Children’s Village BC, Thompson River, Okanagan College, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, and BCIT.

Special Olympics BC and the New Car Dealers Foundation extend sincere thanks to everyone who supported the 2017 auction, and look forward to further growth in 2018. To get involved, please contact: Christina Hadley, SOBC Vice President, Fund Development & Communications, at 604-737-3073 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free / chadley@specialolympics.bc.ca.