ST. LOUIS, MO (March 21, 2013) – Through local bowl-a-thons, trivia nights, golf tournaments and a wide range of special community projects, Enterprise Car Sales is driving about $100,000 per year in donations nationwide to help support Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals and the Credit Unions for Kids program. Donations are generated by local Enterprise offices and the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the company that operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand, of which Enterprise Car Sales is a division.
“Enterprise is one of our top business partners, and we appreciate the ongoing support and enthusiasm of Enterprise employees across the nation who are actively involved in working with patients and their families, as well as participating in local fund raising projects with their credit union partners,” said Joe Dearborn, Senior Director for the Credit Unions for Kids program.
Children’s hospitals, which don’t turn away any child, treated approximately 10 million children in 2012, including many patients from families that lack adequate health insurance. “Patient care is expensive and our hospitals would not be able to provide quality care for so many children without the support of long-standing partners such as Enterprise Car Sales,” said Dearborn.
Bruce Foulke, President and CEO of American Heritage FCU in Philadelphia, a member-centric, community-oriented credit union, knows he can depend on Enterprise Car Sales throughout the year to participate in a variety of projects for patients at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “For 17 years, Enterprise has been actively involved with us from golf outings to our music therapy program which enables children who are patients at the hospital to learn to play instruments, including good quality guitars, ukuleles, flutes, drums, organ, and more,” said Foulke.
“Supporting causes that are important to credit union members gives us an opportunity to reinforce our company’s founding values to support the communities in which we do business, as well as to demonstrate that we are more than a used car dealer,” said Brooke Gilchrist, National Business Development Manager for Enterprise Car Sales, who has volunteered on both the CMN Hospitals of Greater St. Louis Board and the national Young Leaders for Kids Board supporting Credit Unions for Kids.
Local Enterprise Car Sales employees are known for going out of their way to be involved on behalf of CMN Hospitals and Credit Unions for Kids.
For example, the St. Louis office recently raised $6,000 at a single bowl-a-thon event, where 35 Enterprise Car Sales employees volunteered their time to help with the silent auction, selling raffle and 50/50 tickets for a crowd of approximately 300 attendees, including credit union partners, CMN Board Members, and “Miracle Families.”
In Philadelphia, Enterprise Car Sales employees have done everything from working one-on-one in hospitals with patients and their families on arts-and-crafts projects to participating in the annual Gelatin Olympics to raise funds by competing for a chance to slide into a 500-gallon tank of red gelatin.
“We’re not just business partners with our local credit unions, we’re community partners,” said Kaushika Kansara, Group Business Development Manager for Enterprise Car Sales in Philadelphia.
Another example is the Nebraska Credit Union League, which will be receiving a check for $3,000 from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation in cooperation with Enterprise Car Sales’ Heartland office to benefit the local CMN Hospital in Omaha. The donation amount, based on a sales promotion campaign, is just one of the many ways Enterprise participates with the Nebraska Credit Union League, which represents approximately 68 affiliated credit unions throughout the state.
“We can always count on Enterprise Car Sales employees to be enthusiastic and excited about volunteering at the events and projects that are sponsored by the League for the benefit of Credit Unions for Kids,” said Amy Shaw, Director of League Initiatives. “Enterprise’s participation makes a big difference and they enjoy seeing how much their efforts are appreciated on the faces of the children who benefit from these fund raising events,” said Shaw.
The Heartland office also works with credit unions throughout Iowa and Nebraska, as well as areas of Illinois and South Dakota, on a wide range of programs and activities to benefit CMN Hospitals and Credit Unions for Kids. “In addition to bowl-a-thons, our employees participate in everything from running various booths and games at Nebraska Credit Union League carnivals for children and their parents to sponsoring a hole at the annual League golf tournament,” said Andrew Hahn, Group Car Sales Manager for Enterprise Car Sales’ Heartland office.
“We are pleased to join the credit union industry in supporting CMN Hospitals, which benefit so many children and their families across the nation,” said Gilchrist. “We really appreciate the tremendous enthusiasm that our team of volunteers has for this very important cause.”
About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals. Countless individuals, organizations and media partners unite with the charity to help sick and injured kids in local communities. Donations to CMN Hospitals create miracles by funding medical care, research and education that saves and improves the lives of 10 million children each year. More information is available at www.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org.
About Enterprise Car Sales
Enterprise Car Sales, which has sold more than one million used cars, has more than 130 U.S. locations. Its tailored used-car buying programs create opportunities for credit unions to increase their used-car loan portfolio and optimize member loyalty. As a result of partnering with credit unions during the past 30 years, Enterprise Car Sales has helped generate almost $10 billion in loan volume for more than a thousand credit unions nationwide.
For more information about how Enterprise Car Sales partners with credit unions, visit http://www.enterprisecarsales.com/perfectpartnership or e-mail Brooke Gilchrist at brooke.gilchrist@enterprisecarsales.com.