Doyle Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram spent its 100th anniversary year giving to the community. Starting last December, the Doyle 100 Community Campaign gave a total of $130,000 to local charities.
“It’s something that we’d actually been planning out for a number of years,” said Brian Doyle, co-owner of Doyle Dodge. “It didn’t matter what direction you looked in, there were organizations that were much in need, so it was something that you could just see the impact when charities were coming in to get their donations.
“They were just over the moon, and it was a good feeling for sure.”
Those charities, which received $10,000 each, include Réseau ACCESS Network, Sudbury Women’s Centre, Sudbury Charities Foundation, Camp Quality, the Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock, the CTV Lion's Children's Christmas Telethon, United Way Centraide North East Ontario, Inner City Home, ICAN – Independence Centre and Network, Monarch Recovery Services, Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers (for a charity the group is helping, Water First), Maison Vale Hospice and the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer.
Doyle Dodge received nominations for deserving charities through a dedicated website, and people were able to vote for their favourite cause.
Blake Didone, co-owner of the car dealership, said he hopes the project has had a significant impact on the community.
“It's been very rewarding to hear from the various recipients,” he said, adding that many were able to put the money toward a particular project, hire more staff, or to cover expenses that come not just with operating a non-profit, “but operating a non-profit in a pandemic.”
Representatives of many of those organizations were on hand at Doyle Dodge for the Dec. 2 wrap-up of the Doyle 100 Community Campaign.
Mayor Brian Bigger presented the business owners with a certificate of congratulations on behalf of the City of Greater Sudbury and city council.
“It’s truly an honour to recognize and celebrate this incredible milestone for a dealership with a strong and deep-rooted history in Greater Sudbury,” he said.
The mayor noted that Doyle Dodge has its roots in Gardner Motors, which started on Elm Street back in 1921. It’s Canada’s oldest Chrysler dealership. (You can read more about the dealership’s history in a Sudbury.com Then & Now column from September 2020).
Bigger praised the business owners for their charitable contributions.
“I must offer my most sincere thank you for giving back to our community and for promoting a variety of really meaningful, very important causes along the way,” said Bigger.
“Part of what makes our community so strong is the presence of thriving, generous businesses such as Doyle Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, and your commitment to Greater Sudbury does not go unnoticed.”
Joe Drago, president of Inner City Home, said the $10,000 his organization received went to the campaign for its Stay Away Soiree last spring.
“They were the kickoff sponsor,” he said. “(The fundraiser) was so successful. We raised $162,000, primarily for food to feed the needy families and the children (through Inner City Home’s food bank).”
Giulia Carpenter, executive director of the Sudbury Women’s Centre, said their $10,000 went to the organization’s 40 years, 40 days, $40K campaign, in honour of its 40th anniversary. That campaign ended up bringing in $53,000.
Some of the money went toward basic needs for clients, such as hygiene products, while some funds were put away for the future creation of a hub that would be a one-stop location for women’s organizations.
“We had a feasibility study that was done a couple years ago to look to create a one-stop location that a variety of women’s organizations can be under to help our clients in different ways,” Carpenter said.
“You’d be able to go down the hall to have help with transitional housing, versus going to a whole new building. Some of that money is going toward that amount. That won’t be for another few years, once we get a larger place.”
