CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Chapel Hill Tire Co. continued a long-standing community support initiative in December with its annual 12 Days of Kindness holiday tradition.
Chapel Hill Tire, which has 10 locations throughout the Raleigh-Durham region, started the tradition years ago by offering customers a discount on oil changes if they donated a canned good for the local foodbank.
"Every December, we've always looked for ways to give back to the community and try to bring our customers into the process," Marc Pons, co-owner of Chapel Hill Tire, said.
Chapel Hill Tire began exploring new ways to give back and renamed the initiative the 12 Days of Kindess during the COVID-19 pandemic, "because we thought the world could use a little more kindness, and it stuck," he added.
This year, Chapel Hill Tire asked folks to nominate community members to receive $1,000 care care vouches.
The dozen community members selected included residents such as John Rugabo, a volunteer at the Refugee Support Center in Carrboro, Danielle Payton, a local educator and mother of three, and Colleen Lanigan, director of the Orange County Special Olympics.
Chapel Hill Tire posted videos announcing those selected to its website at 12days.chapelhilltire.com.
"This year, I think we were able to strike a really great balance between having fun and doing good for the community," Pons said, adding that he was "deeply touched" by seeing the responses of some of those picked for the vouchers.
"The letters that we received from our community members are beautiful affirmations that we are on the right track," he said.
"They lift the spirits of our whole team. It feels really good to use our God-given talents to help out members of our community, especially these folks who always give of themselves and never ask for anything in return."
The dealership grew to 10 locations last year with the November acquisition of Bull Tire & Service in Cary, N.C.
