Lending a Helping Van
McGeorge Toyota does what it can
Nov/Dec 2015
Surprise Sienna
Cathy and Charlie James are overjoyed to receive a dependable Sienna courtesy of McGeorge Toyota. Now they don’t have to rely on friends and family for rides to medical treatments.
Cathy and Charlie James are overjoyed to receive a dependable Sienna courtesy of McGeorge Toyota. Now they don’t have to rely on friends and family for rides to medical treatments.
There’s something about the people at McGeorge Toyota: They just want to help.
So the scene on a Monday morning might have been normal around the store, but to outsiders it’s a peek at how the dealership in suburban Richmond, Va., forms a tight bond with its neighbors.
A few nights before, an area newscast profiled Cathy and Charlie James, a local couple with serious health and financial issues. Cathy is an amputee on dialysis and Charlie recently had a brain tumor removed. Their car broke down, and they had no transportation to get to and from treatments.
“We were in our Monday morning meeting, and every manager was talking about it,” says Ed Adams, McGeorge Toyota Finance Manager. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we are who we are.’”
General Manager Bob Farlow found a pre-owned Sienna to donate to the couple. The dealership put in new brakes, tires and took care of the title and taxes.
“This was about people who genuinely needed help,” Adams says.” All of our employees saw it and wanted to do something. So many of us were involved. It is just the way our dealership is. We just did what we needed to do to help these people.”
Once Cathy saw the Sienna with a bow on it, she started to cry.
“That’s cheating,” Farlow told her. “You can’t cry because then you’re going to make us cry.”
But that was OK. There were plenty of reasons for tears of joy.
“We just wanted to help out in some way,” Adams says. “If there was just one thing we could take off their plate, it makes the whole thing worth it.”
So the scene on a Monday morning might have been normal around the store, but to outsiders it’s a peek at how the dealership in suburban Richmond, Va., forms a tight bond with its neighbors.
A few nights before, an area newscast profiled Cathy and Charlie James, a local couple with serious health and financial issues. Cathy is an amputee on dialysis and Charlie recently had a brain tumor removed. Their car broke down, and they had no transportation to get to and from treatments.
“We were in our Monday morning meeting, and every manager was talking about it,” says Ed Adams, McGeorge Toyota Finance Manager. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we are who we are.’”
General Manager Bob Farlow found a pre-owned Sienna to donate to the couple. The dealership put in new brakes, tires and took care of the title and taxes.
“This was about people who genuinely needed help,” Adams says.” All of our employees saw it and wanted to do something. So many of us were involved. It is just the way our dealership is. We just did what we needed to do to help these people.”
Once Cathy saw the Sienna with a bow on it, she started to cry.
“That’s cheating,” Farlow told her. “You can’t cry because then you’re going to make us cry.”
But that was OK. There were plenty of reasons for tears of joy.
“We just wanted to help out in some way,” Adams says. “If there was just one thing we could take off their plate, it makes the whole thing worth it.”
