In This Article, You’ll Learn Why Our Associates Love our Fan Drive:
- Dishawn Bell says, “It’s a good cause. The fans help the elderly and others less fortunate stay cool in summer.”
- Chuck Perry says, “It’s part of who we are: our mission, vision, and values.”
- Jae Minor says, “It feels so good to give back and make a real difference in our community.”
Is one fan enough to beat the heat? Or is it two fans? Even three fans?
Excessive heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, with seniors, people with disabilities, and children at higher risk. Many people only operate on a window unit, so they need fans to circulate air throughout their house. This helps circulate the air, plus it can save on energy bills.
That’s why, for over 25 years, America’s Car-Mart, a buy here pay here dealership, has conducted a Community Fan Drive. Our vision states that we are here to ‘improve the communities we serve.’ It’s important to us to give back and lend a helping hand to those in need.
Our associates at 150+ locations in our 12-state area are ready to collect more fans to help more people. Here are reflections from some of our top fan collectors about our fan drive:
Chatting (up fans) in Conway, Arkansas
“We make the fan drive a topic of conversation during May and June. We chat it up with our customers and our vendors. We tell them it’s a good cause,” says Dishawn Bell, General Manager, Conway.
“The fan drive has always been important to me because we use the fans to give back to organizations that help the elderly and others less fortunate to stay cool in the summertime,” Dishawn continues. “Many companies talk about wanting to help the community, but our company does. I have worked for the company for a long time, and the fan drive is one of my favorite promotions because of the appreciation the people [recipients] show for the fans.”
The Conway team donates fans to several organizations, including a women’s shelter, the Salvation Army, the Conway Housing Authority, and a veterinary clinic. “We also donate fans to a few customers in need,” says Dishawn.
Seeing (is believing) in Sherman, Texas
For one of the company’s last fan drive, the Sherman Car-Mart team had a ‘mountain of fans,’ according to General Manager Chuck Perry. When customers entered the building, they saw the fans, were curious, asked questions, and wanted to help.
“We like to make things visual, so we put all our fans up front so people can see them,” he says. “That gets everyone fired up. We want to help. We want to be the best. That’s what drives us.”
The team donates its fans to the Salvation Army of Sherman. “They’re usually shocked that the fans are new because they usually get second-hand items,” says Chuck. “It’s like a shock and awe.”
“We’re doing this because we want to give back to and improve our communities,” Chuck continues. “It’s part of who we are: our mission, vision, and values. We’re not doing it for PR. No one is a glory grabber for this. We get excited about it!”
And Chuck promises that this year’s fan drive will be big!
Giving back to local heroes and kids in Milledgeville, Georgia
For Car-Mart’s 2024 fan drive, in Milledgeville, Ga., General Manager Jae Minor and her team collected 100 fans for three local organizations. The team enjoyed personally delivering the fans to the Georgia War Veterans Home, the Green Acres Nursing Home, and the Baldwin County Public Schools.
“It was an honor to meet some World War II vets and thank them for their service. The nurses were so appreciative of the fans—they couldn’t stop talking about how much it meant. And for the school, those fans kept kids nice and cool in their after-school programs,” Jae says. “It feels so good to give back and make a real difference in our community.”
Want to help? Be a Fan!
As the temperatures rise, let’s all come together to help those most vulnerable in our communities stay cool and safe. Every fan counts. At America’s Car-Mart, we’re proud to make a difference in our communities.
Bring a box fan to your local America’s Car-Mart. We’ll take it from there.
Check out our other blogs and learn more about our Community Fan Drive:
- 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Box Fans
- Improving Our Communities – One Fan at a Time
- Fans for Moms and Kids, and Dogs and Cats
We’d love to welcome you to the Car-Mart family!
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