Hamilton, Ontario — An auto body shop raised over $22,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
For their spring community outreach initiative, Waterdown Collision in Hamilton wanted to give back to a cause that hits close to home, as the owners and operators of the shop, the DeFelice family, have a son with cystic fibrosis—Dante. Normally, the company hosts an annual car wash to raise funds for the non-profit organization but because of COVID-19, they had to change it up this year and settled with a tire swap.
Anyone wanting to participate could get their summer tires put on, a mechanical inspection and a car wash if they donated $50 to Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Nadia Mamone, business development and insurance relations at Waterdown Collision, says that the tire swap was something members of the community really enjoyed and they were excited to help support such a great cause.
“People loved it, and they needed to get their tires swapped anyway. The mechanical inspection for free was just a bonus because it’s always nice to know if there is something going on with the vehicle,” said Mamone.
Overall, the spring outreach initiative helped the collision repair shop raise $22,265 in the span of three months. Mamone says that there isn’t a single business that can thrive without the community’s support, so doing outreach work is just a way for the shop to show their appreciation.
“We always have been supported by our community, all of our business comes from the community, and we wanted to find a way to give back,” she said.
Waterdown Collision is already focusing on their summer initiative as it started last week. This year they are wanting to put a spotlight on the Eva Rothwell Centre, which helps families living in poverty get back on their feet.
The auto repair shop is doing a food drive where the donations will go right to Eva Rothwell Centre’s emergency food pantry. To donate, email Waterdown Collision at info@waterdowncollision.com to get a grocery list of a family in need.
Anyone not in the area can also provide a cash donation through the Eva Rothwell Centre’s website at www.evarothwell.ca.