Jerry’s Toyota
Baltimore Dealership’s Fundraising Efforts Help Kids with Muscular Dystrophy
Nov/Dec 2017
Happy Campers
Representatives of Jerry’s Toyota, including Chief Communications Officer Bill Bolander (third from left), display tokens of gratitude from the MDA and the children they serve at Camp Fairlee.
Representatives of Jerry’s Toyota, including Chief Communications Officer Bill Bolander (third from left), display tokens of gratitude from the MDA and the children they serve at Camp Fairlee.
Why does Jerry’s Toyota go above and beyond to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Greater Maryland? Bill Bolander, chief communications officer of the Baltimore dealership, has a simple — yet compelling — answer to that question.
“So these kids can feel normal, even if it’s only for one week out of the year,” he says. “When you hear them say that’s what this means to them, how can you not try to do something to help?”
The kids, in this case, are children who struggle with muscle disorders, often to the point of being restricted to wheelchairs. And the week is the time they get to spend at Camp Fairlee in Chestertown, Maryland.
Stacy Alford, executive director of the local MDA, says the funds generated by the dealership allow 65 of these youngsters to experience fun summer activities such as swimming, fishing, zip lining and playing musical instruments with their peers at no cost to their families.
Jerry’s Toyota first rallied around this cause in 2014. The MDA said it could organize a golf tournament, but needed the dealership’s assistance lining up sponsors. Bolander and his colleagues rose to the challenge, convincing business partners, suppliers and others to purchase foursomes for $1,500 to $1,850 each. They also made a new Toyota vehicle available should one of the entrants make a hole-in-one. And they rounded up other prizes, such as tickets to Baltimore Ravens football games, to boost raffle ticket sales.
All told, Jerry’s Toyota has helped raise more than $160,000 via the four golf tournaments held thus far, including a record $60,000 this year alone. Proceeds from the dealership’s annual car show also go to the MDA, increasing its total giving to more than $170,000.
“Jerry’s Toyota does an amazing job creating excitement for the tournaments,” Alford says. “We serve over 1,500 families. So this money, all of which stays local, has a huge impact. We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with them.”
“So these kids can feel normal, even if it’s only for one week out of the year,” he says. “When you hear them say that’s what this means to them, how can you not try to do something to help?”
The kids, in this case, are children who struggle with muscle disorders, often to the point of being restricted to wheelchairs. And the week is the time they get to spend at Camp Fairlee in Chestertown, Maryland.
Kid Stuff
Jerry’s Toyota raises money to help children who struggle with muscle disorders to experience what it’s like to “feel normal,” says the dealership’s Bill Bolander.
Jerry’s Toyota first rallied around this cause in 2014. The MDA said it could organize a golf tournament, but needed the dealership’s assistance lining up sponsors. Bolander and his colleagues rose to the challenge, convincing business partners, suppliers and others to purchase foursomes for $1,500 to $1,850 each. They also made a new Toyota vehicle available should one of the entrants make a hole-in-one. And they rounded up other prizes, such as tickets to Baltimore Ravens football games, to boost raffle ticket sales.
All told, Jerry’s Toyota has helped raise more than $160,000 via the four golf tournaments held thus far, including a record $60,000 this year alone. Proceeds from the dealership’s annual car show also go to the MDA, increasing its total giving to more than $170,000.
“Jerry’s Toyota does an amazing job creating excitement for the tournaments,” Alford says. “We serve over 1,500 families. So this money, all of which stays local, has a huge impact. We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with them.”
