Car dealer continues charity mission

During the holiday season, it's easy to forget that there are many people in the area who weren't able to afford presents or have a turkey on the table this Christmas.

Jim Hudson, owner of Jim Hudson Lexus on Washington Road, wanted to call attention to the needs of such people. The Lexus dealership donated $5,000 to the Salvation Army on Monday morning and $6,000 more to six other nonprofit organizations.

The Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons Inc.; Hitchcock Healthcare of Aiken; Alzheimer's Association of Augusta; Golden Harvest Food Bank; Make-A-Wish Foundation and Child Enrichment Inc.; and Shelter and Child Advocacy Center each received $1,000 at a ceremony.

"Donations like this help us keep our mission, which is very important to us," said Suzanne Jackson of Hitchcock Healthcare in Aiken.

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Jim Hudson Lexus public relations official Angela Hillesland carefully considered which charities would receive the donation. She wanted to include organizations that aid children and adults from all over Columbia County.

"The Salvation Army and Make-a-Wish Foundation were Mr. Hudson's picks," she explained. "In choosing the rest, we looked at what would be a broad portfolio of giving to have the greatest impact on the community."

Though corporate giving during the holiday season is a long-standing tradition for Hudson, this is the first year the dealership has enjoyed the resources to do so.

"We're always going to try to share the success we've had with people that really need it," Lexus General Manager Bill Gibbs said.

Hudson, who owns several dealerships in Columbia, S.C., opened the Washington Road dealership in October 2001. Since then, Jim Hudson Lexus has promoted the causes of local charities through volunteering and informing members of the CSRA about opportunities to give and get involved.

The dealership created the Web site www.volunteeraugusta.com, which contains a calendar of events and a volunteer sign-up sheet to "connect nonprofits with people in the community," Hillesland said.

The dealership's involvement with local nonprofits on a sponsorship and volunteer level enabled them to decide what organizations would receive the donation.

"We hope to give local nonprofit organizations some recognition before the holidays with this donation," Hillesland said. "We want to generate some awareness and stimulate more intensive giving during the holiday season."