Sentes giving away car
Sponsored Content - Dec 10, 2018 - Think Local

Photo: Contributed

Christmas cheer is here at the Penticton Hyundai and Honda dealerships.

Mike Van De Leest, sales team leader with Penticton Hyundai, spearheaded his longtime wish to give a vehicle away at Christmas.

This year, that wish is finally coming true.

Penticton Hyundai and Honda have partnered to give back to the community in a massive way. The dealership, which is part of the Sentes Automotive Group, has teamed up with five sponsors and will give away a 2008 Toyota Matrix to someone who needs it most.

“You can either nominate yourself, or you can nominate somebody else,” Van De Leest says. “We reached out to South Okanagan Women in Need Society, Penticton Recovery Resource Society and also Discovery House, just saying hey, this is what we’re doing, trying to get people to fill out these forms.”

The companies that jumped on board with Penticton Hyundai and Honda were Underwriters Insurance, Schoenne Homes, Penticton Collision, Husky and VBS Excavating. More than $1,000 was spent to get the car ready for the road, and when all is said and done the value of everything that comes with the vehicle will be nearly $9,000.

Not only will the deserving recipient get the car, but they will also receive $1,500 worth of insurance, $500 in gas cards and free maintenance appointments for the vehicle. Two sets of tires will come with the car as well—four summer and four winter wheels.

“We’re just trying to do it so it is pretty much one year of no costs to the deserving family,” Van De Leest says.

In a perfect world, the recipient will be someone who just needs to not pay for a vehicle for a year to get their head above financial water.

“We’re trying to find that person that is right on the border of being OK and trying to get them to the next level,” Van De Leest says.

Penticton Hyundai and Honda will choose the deserving family on Dec. 20, so they urge people to get their nomination forms in as soon as possible. If the contest proves popular, Hyundai general manager Brandon Sanchioni and Honda’s Julian Smallbone would love to help Van De Leest make this an annual event.

“We’re doing it,” Van De Leest says, “to make a better impact on Penticton.”

Click this link to nominate yourself or someone else for the car giveaway.

This article is written by or on behalf of the sponsoring client and does not necessarily reflect the views of Okanagan Edge.


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