Automotive Foundation Helps Build Life-changing Orphanage in India

Oh What a Feeling!

Just 16 of the 50 children who call Angel House Rescue Orphanage home pose for a photo during the new facility’s dedication. “The full impact didn’t hit me until I went there,” says multi-Toyota dealer owner Troy Duhon. “When I saw the joy in their faces and the tears coming down, that’s when I knew we’d done something special.”

When Troy and Tracy Duhon established Hope the Premier Way, their Louisiana-based non-profit foundation, the couple was determined to make a difference that, in Troy’s words, “changed the planet.” For 50 orphans in India, they already have.

The foundation, an offshoot of Premier Automotive Group—which includes Toyota of New Orleans, Premier Toyota Richmond (Ind.), and Poway Toyota (Calif.)—partnered with Angel House Rescue Orphanage to build a brand new facility in Hyderabad. The Duhons, as well as several dealership employees, traveled there earlier this year when the two-story orphanage opened its doors.

“There are 25 million orphans in India, many who sleep in the streets. So, clearly, there is great need,” says Troy. “But it wasn’t until I went there and saw the joy in these kids’ eyes and the tears rolling down their faces that I felt like we had really done something special. Business is good. Why buy a new plane or a 150-foot yacht when you can change someone’s life?”