Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Cell Phones for Soldiers Collection Point at Gresham Ford

Since its inception in 2004, Cell Phones for Soldiers has worked to provide free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans.  The charity’s longstanding calling card program, “Minutes that Matter” has provided servicemen and women with an estimated 3 million prepaid calling cards, equating to more than 213 million minutes of FREE talk time.

Cell Phones for Soldiers was found by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist of Norwell, MA at the ages of 12 and 13.  The organization has prevented more than 11.6 million cell phones from ending up in landfills.  How it works, they collect pre-owned cell phones, recycle them for cash (approximately $5 per phone) and then they purchase calling cards for our military personal that are thousands of miles from their loved ones.  It started when these two kids heard of a soldier getting hit with an $8,000 phone bill.  With the help of their community, car washes and the like, they raised the money to help him pay his bill.

And then they devised this plan so that our armed forces in far away places could keep connected to
those back home.We, here at Gresham Ford, are so very proud of these two kids that have made such a difference in the lives of those that sacrifice their day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces.

If you’d like to help, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or if you have a cell phone you’d like to donate, just drop it by Gresham Ford and we’ll ship it for you.  The gift of just a few minutes can bring hope to both those that serve and those left at home.  These minutes do matter…

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Think Green

As our society shifts to “green”, our mind sets have shifted as well. An effort to make our world safe and beautiful for the generations to come has become a way of life.  And there are countless companies and organizations that have joined the shift as well and Ford Motor Company is one of them. In a recent publication of the AAA Green Car Guide, AAA named the 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCab Lariat with EcoBoost gasoline as the greenest pickup truck.  When equipped with the available 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine with standard Auto Start-Stop, the MY-2015 F-150 4x2 returns EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway/22 mpg combined.  The F-150 had an overall ranking of 32 on the list of 88 vehicles of all types, outranking both Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500.  AAA Green Car Guide winners were tested and scored by the automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center in 13 categories, including braking, fuel economy, emissions, handling and ride comfort.

So, needless to say, once again we are proud to represent a company that not only has our country’s
best interest at heart, but the world we live in as well.  As our founder, Henry Ford once said, “A
business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”  His vision for environment, community and our future carries on even to this day!

Have you driven a Ford lately?

Way to go Devan!

Ladies and Gentlemen!  We have a hero in our midst! Devan Driscoll-Roach, a spunky 15 year old from Portland, set out on a journey a few months ago.  Her goal, to raise $50,000 for the Leukemia
Lymphoma Society, Oregon SW Washington Idaho Montana Chapter (OSWIM).  Well, she not only
reached her goal, she blew by it to a whopping $75,311 raised.  And she did it in a mere 10 weeks!

Devan has a very personal connection to this disease and the devastating affects it has on families and loved ones.  Her Aunt Nancy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when Devan was 4 years old, and then passed away six years later.  In her hopes to keep more aunts, uncles and loved ones around longer, she set out on her campaign to raise as much as she could to help advance the survival rates of so many that suffer from these blood cancers.  Many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

And LLS funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives every day!  As Devan says, “everyone wins when cancer loses”!  And that has been her motto that has driven her to this great success!!  Our hat is off to you Devan, and we are so proud of all the time and effort you put into this and all the lives that may benefit from your hard work!  And, her name will be linked to LLS research for generations to come because of this event!  Way to go, Devan!!

And THANK YOU, to everyone in this community that supported her in this task!  If you’d like more information or to donate, please contact Amy Tipsord at Gresham Ford, 503-665-0101 or email; awilliamson@greshamford.com!