Fallon Ford donates more than $43K to local groups
“Christmas is the spirit of giving without thinking of receiving. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It’s forgetting yourself and making time for others.”
– Thomas S. Monson
The merry sounds of Christmas greet visitors every year at Fallon Ford-Toyota, and every year since 2011, the famous automotive franchise celebrates Yuletide by donating to area nonprofits.
This year, Fallon Ford-Toyota presented $43,850 worth of checks to 14 organizations ranging from youth clubs and athletics to the William N. Pennington Life Center. Since the Pay It Forward program began in 2011, General Manager Tim Mitchell said the company has donated $446,200.
“With every sale, we ask customers where they want us to donate $50 from each sale,” Mitchell said.
Each year from March to early December, Mitchell said many of the well-known organizations are on the designated list, but each year a new one is replaced by another.
As they have done since 2011, Fallon Ford-Toyota applies the buyer’s designated donation to one of the specified organizations serving the community or region.
Businesses such as Pennington Life Center, Churchill County 4-H and Domestic Violence Intervention, which generated the highest donations, receive a $2,500 match from Toyota.
Pay It Forward Day is a favorite of Mitchell and the Henning family.
“This community in general is amazing,” said co-owner Chris Henning, at a loss for words to express his gratitude for the community’s generosity. “That’s why we live here.”
Henning and Mitchell said Fallon Ford-Toyota also enjoys giving back to the community,
Karen Moessner, executive director of DVI, tears up when she receives the donation. In previous years, DVI has been able to use the donation for shelter repairs, gas and food cards, or money used for a new van.
“They’re great, so well-respected in town,” Moessner said of the Hennings and their dealer.
Moessner said DVI will be able to use this year’s donation as match money for grants and gas cards. DVI serves Churchill County and neighboring Lyon County. However, Moessner said the Fallon Ford-Toyota donation remains in the community.
Keith Bryska, one of the Naval Junior ROTC instructors at Churchill County High School, said his students will be able to use their $1,500 for training sessions and at the Pennington Life Center, Principal Jennifer Lambert said the $5,000 donation is earmarked to allow the center to provide more Meals on Wheels.
The Fallon Rodeo Club is looking forward to a good season. Nora Lee, the group’s director, said the $2,050 donation will help the club sponsor the spring high school rodeo.
“We’ll have about 200 to 250 kids and they bring their families,” she said. “We’re going to bring a lot of people into the community.”
Recipients from the Fallon Community Theater were debating on the showcase floor how the $1,900 donation would be used. They would like to remodel the concession stand to make it more customer friendly.
“We can use it for a new projection screen,” said Mike Berney.
Melissa Huckaby, director of the Pregnancy Care Center, said the organization first received a donation in 2021.
“We were surprised,” she said of receiving a donation. “Everything we do is free.”
The center offers pregnancy testing, prenatal life skills and parenting.
DonATionS
WNP Life Center $5,000
Fallon Youth Athletics $2,850
Churchill County 4-H $6,300
Fallon Rodeo Club $2,050
CCHS JROTC $1,500
Search and Rescue CC $2,300
Pregnancy Care Center $1,950
Fallon Youth Club $2,050
Needy Family Fund $4,150
Intervention against domestic violence $6050
Popular Children’s Network $5,100
High Desert Grange $1400
Lahontan Valley Claybreakers $1250
Fallon Community Theater $1,900
Pay-It-Forward 2022 Total $43,850
2011-2022 Total $446,200
