Since 1984, the New Car Dealers Association of BC has been committed to supporting Special Olympics BC through the New Car Dealers Foundation of BC. These dedicated supporters contribute to the empowerment, health, and skill development of SOBC athletes through important initiatives such as the highly successful New Car Dealers Foundation / Special Olympics BC Auction.
This annual auction began in 1987 as the popular Casino Auction in support of SOBC, chaired by Sherrold Haddad. Over the last three decades, the auction has continually grown and changed, adopting new technology and tools to strengthen the event and provide significant funding to the New Car Dealers Foundation and Special Olympics BC.
Thanks to the hard work of the volunteer committee and New Car Dealers Foundation staff, the auction has become a multi-day event that includes hundreds of incredible items and bids coming in from all over the province. The long list of prizes offered at this private online auction includes everything from new cars, computers, and bicycles to travel items, home and sporting goods, and advertising pages.
This year’s event raised more than $182,000, raising the three-decade total to more than $4.9 million in support of Special Olympics BC and the work of the New Car Dealers Foundation.
The 2018 auction included 248 popular prizes in the following categories: Automotive and Business, Food and Wine, Lifestyle, Media, and Sport and Travel.
The NCDA also gives Special Olympics BC a presence at the Vancouver International Auto Show, which takes place each year in March. This year, SOBC athletes greeted members of the automotive industry at the all-new UNVEILED, at the Vancouver International Auto Show, an opening night celebration of the glamorous automotive event. The NCDA generously donated proceeds from the evening’s silent auction to help support our life-changing sport programs across the province.
Pictured at right: SOBC – Vancouver athletes Robin Rauh, Matthew Schmiing, Richard Louis, and Sarah Brown with New Car Dealers Auction committee member John Chesman at the 2018 Vancouver International Auto Show opening night
Individual Dealers also regularly look for ways to support Special Olympics athletes, ranging from fundraisers to awareness opportunities and supporting Special Olympics events held in their communities.
We are so grateful to the New Car Dealers Association of BC for their dedication to raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics. Their support has been instrumental in helping SOBC grow from two weekends of games with about 500 participants in involving more than 4,800 athletes in 55 communities around the province. It has helped change the lives of thousands of athletes and, in turn, the lives of everyone they touch.
Read more about some of the inspiring new car dealers who support SOBC: