CCC partnering with Family Service Day

BETHESDA, Md. (Sept. 13, 2016) — The Car Care Council (CCC) is partnering with Family Service Day, an organization with a mission to help independent automotive businesses “do well by doing good.”

Through Family Service Day's flagship initiative, “Keeping Cars Kickin',” repair shop owners and employees across the country provide necessary preventative maintenance and car-care education at no charge to local families who need help caring for their vehicles.

“We are thrilled to welcome Family Service Day as a partner in our efforts to strengthen the automotive industry and provide services designed to make vehicles last longer, perform better and keep drivers safer,” said Rich White, Bethesda-based CCC's executive director.

“The Family Service Day program parallels the mission of our organization to promote the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair.”

Founded in 2009 by shop owner Charlie Marcotte, Family Service Day provides member shops with a step-by-step “Blueprint,” coaching and online resources enabling independent shops of any size to host successful local events without any prior marketing or event management experience.

“By utilizing our talents as automotive technicians to help local families that need a ‘hand up', independent automotive repair shops make a direct impact on their communities and attract ongoing positive attention for their efforts,” Mr. Marcotte said in a CCC press release.

Since its beginnings, Family Service Day has grown from a single-shop grass roots effort to a national cause marketing initiative available to automotive repair shops in all 50 states, according to CCC which noted that shops in 14 states held Family Service Day events on the company's first national day of service on Nov. 7, 2015. Participating families were pre-selected and referred by local and national non-profit partners. Local businesses pitched in by sponsoring the events and providing in-kind donations “to make the day a fun-filled event for the children and their families,” the council said.

In addition to individual shop events held during the year, preparations for the company's next national day of service on Saturday Oct. 15, are under way. Shop operators interested in becoming Family Service Day service providers can click here.

Businesses interested in becoming a Family Service Day partner or sponsor can fill out the online Contact Us form.

According to Family Service Day's website, the organization is a Virginia Benefit Corp. based in Toano, Va., with additional offices in New Hampshire.

It offers a “unique, step-by-step Keeping Cars Kickin' Blueprint” for independent shops large and small to help families that need help caring for their automobiles by offering no-charge vehicle maintenance, service and car-care education.