Saturday, March 17th, 2018 was the 11th annual celebration of, Fest of Tails, at McAllister Park. This year we were able to donate $2,500 to the San Antonio Parks Foundation. The event by San Antonio Parks Foundation brings awareness of how important it is to have active parks and recreation programs for the public use and enjoyment.

“This must be the best day of my life”, and definitely a day of meaning, purpose, and inspiration. On July 12, 2018, a small group from North Park Subaru at Dominion set out for what they thought was just a morning of giving back to their community, but as they would soon learn this would be so much more; an event that they would not soon forget. When Stephen Markham, Andrew Kilgore and their Subaru crew stepped through the doors of Texas Oncology armed with their donated blankets, messages of hope, pins, and arts & crafts, they were immediately greeted with amazement and gratitude from the staff of Texas Oncology. They were so touched and said, “Patients will definitely feel the warmth and love through your blankets.” Our patients watched eagerly with excitement, as an assembly line formed stocking Subaru’s Tote Bags with the blankets, craft kits and message of hope cards. Soon after, we started passing out our tote bags and we began hearing from our excited patients, including Linda Rutherford. Mrs. Rutherford was so excited to receive her gift, “This must be the best day of my life. Not only do I get to receive a gift from Subaru, but also receive my last chemo treatment!” Linda felt extremely blessed that day and expressed her love and gratitude for Subaru and their generosity. A proud owner of two North Park Subaru vehicles herself she explained how her “experience with Subaru has been nothing but amazing. This does not surprise me that they would go out of their way to bring joy, hope, and warmth to patients like me.” After speaking with some of the patients, Andrew Kilgore expressed the true meaning and significance behind his volunteering and devotion to the cause. “My mother was diagnosed with a blood cancer a few years ago, but ultimately, lost her life. Delivering blankets to patients helps me stay connected to the mission.” Andrew and his family have been participating with Light The Night for many years as Team Debbi. Because of this and our mission, North Park Subaru has happily decided to sponsor a total of $5,000 for our San Antonio Light The Night. As our North Park Subaru crew said, “San Antonio isn’t just a community, but a family. We are here to help in any way we can.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is more than an industry-leading guide dog school; it is a passionate community that serves the visually impaired. With exceptional client services and a robust network of trainers, puppy raisers, donors, and volunteers, GDB prepares highly qualified guide dogs to serve and empower individuals who are blind or have low vision from throughout the United States and Canada. All of GDB's services are provided free of charge, including veterinary care as needed, personalized training, and extensive post-graduation support. North Park Subaru is happy to have GDB as a part of our community! "On behalf of the graduates, volunteers, staff, and dogs of Guide Dogs for the Blind, we appreciate your generous gift made in support of our programs," said Christine Benninger, GDB's President and CEO. "We are very grateful for your recent donation to our puppy raising program of $2,000.00 received Friday, March 30, 2018. We acknowledge the caring, generous and visionary people, like you, who make our life-changing mission possible."

A little over 20 years ago, a woman named Tracy Frank, had a plan to save animals. She saw the need of countless animals who were being abandoned, abused, and neglected everyday. And so, SARA was born, the Society for Animal Rescue and Adoption in Seguin has saved so many lives since 1996. Every morning Tracy Frank and the people who support this cause wake up and go on to do their routine of feeding, cleaning, and maintaining this 100 acre home. SARA's mission is to save animals big and small wild or domestic, no animal is ever turned away no matter their breed or health issues. This is why the sanctuary has never had fewer than 750 animals. We focus a lot on education as most of our animals are farm and domestic pets. We maintain a cruelty free free lifestyle and promote awareness to animal welfare. SARA provides a home to animals to live out their lives being their true self. SARA wants to continue this work going because we believe its important to understand compassion for all kinds of species. Will you help SARA Sanctuary make a bigger difference?

The students enjoyed planting their garden!

What if...you were a business that wanted to make your corporate giving program more meaningful? What if...you were a recent college graduate with a dream of using horses to help those with disabilities? What if the collaboration sparked synergy that continues to positively impact the lives of many across San Antonio? This perfect scenario came to fruition when North Park Subaru at Dominion raised just over $42,000 during Subaru's "Share the Love" 2017 campaign. Open T.R.A.I.L. Ranch (which stands for Therapeutic Riding Actively Improving Lives) offers various riding programs for participants with physical, emotional, or cognitive special needs and currently serves 60 riders from San Antonio, Boerne, and surrounding areas weekly with 12 horses. The funds are going to build a new barn with additional equine stalls. Most of the ranch's horses are rescued from an abusive or neglectful situation. The rehabilitated horses give so much once they realize they are no longer in danger. A lot of the participants have a learning disability that almost makes them unable to relate to others. A horse is a mirror image which helps participants recognize and give voice to their emotions. The horse can advocate how the participant is feeling, which helps them learn how to properly socialize. North Park Subaru at Dominion has been a great partner: what they've provided will enable us to do more horse rescues and therapeutic rides, than we could have otherwise.

On behalf of the Rainbow Senior Center at Kronkosky Place we would like to thank North Park Subaru at Dominion and Subaru of America for making possible the "Share the Love Event". This is the first year that the Rainbow Senior Center took part in the event. The Center sponsored a pet food drive which brought in over 700 lbs. of pet food for those Kendall County home bound seniors with pets who were in need. Because of Subaru and the "Share the Love Event" the funds that we will be receiving will go a long way to help provide meals for the home bound members through the Kendall County Meals on Wheels program. Thank you for your support and thank you for the "Share the Love Event". Warm Wishes.

On Saturday, March 18, 2017, TPR Joined the San Antonio Parks Foundation for their Fest of Tails Kite Festival & Dog Fair. Located at McAllister Park this year the annual event encourages families to spend a day in the park with children's activities, hot air balloon rides, live music, arts and crafts, food vendors and a sky full of kites. Fashionable dogs competed in costume contests and strutted in the always popular Pooch Parade. During the event, TPR signed up 23 new members, of both the human and canine varieties. Big thanks to TPR sponsor North Park Subaru at Dominion for joining the fun, showing off Subaru's innovative pet-friendly models and making TPR's participation possible!

Make A Wish appreciates North Park Subaru at Dominion's dedication to our mission and the seriously ill children we serve. The toys from your toy drive have brought smiles to many children. We look forward to working with you again.

Aida was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on October 8, 2013. She started treatment on October 9th. At that time she was unable to finish kindergarten and was home-bound educated by her teacher during after-hours. We are happy to report that she was again allowed to attend school full time and finished first grade on target with her other classmates. It was projected that Aida will finish her treatment in June 2016; however, Aida fought hard enough to finish her chemo pill two months early! When Aida learned that Subaru partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and asked to meet Subaru dealers, she immediately said YES. She and her twin sister, Kalli enjoy supporting LLS. Little did the dealers know, Aida was not only meeting them, but coming back to Methodist Blood Cancer Center as a Hero. After learning about her story, Subaru dealers were inspired and happy to know their generosity was well appreciated. Aida enjoys all the things that any 7-year-old girl does. She attends gymnastics, while her sister plays soccer and is sure not to miss any of her sister’s soccer games. She plays outside, loves to ride her scooter, go to the park, and play with her sister. She loves the beach and the ocean and enjoys painting arts and crafts. Aida and Kalli, will continue to raise awareness and support for The Leukemia Lymphoma Society and Subaru.

North Park Subaru at Dominion partnered with Friends of Government Canyon and raised $4,100 dollars for the organization to support the daily efforts to promote public awareness, education of conservation and preservation, volunteerism, and non-degredational recreational usage of the rich and ecologically diverse landscape of Government Canyon State Natural Area. Both the Dealership and the Organization look forward to collaborating again.

North Park Subaru at Dominion presented a check to the Riverside Nature Center of Kerrville for $11,850. The money was raised as a part of the dealership's "Share the Love" campaign, which ran from November to January. During that time, any buyer could designate $250 of their purchase of a new Subaru to be donated to the nature center. The event was such a success that Subaru of America Inc., made an additional donation to the campaign. Becky Etzler, executive director of the nature center, went on to say "The funds will support our daily efforts to increase community awareness of our precious natural resources. They (North Park Subaru at Dominion) are very community minded and wishes to take an active part in promoting environmental concerns." Etzler also said she hopes this is the start of a long-lasting relationship with the dealership.

Lone Star Guide Dog Raisers/ Guide Dogs for the Blind wanted to take the time to convey our thanks to North Park Subaru for your generous support of our Lone Star Guide Dog Raisers Puppy Fiesta 2016. Thanks to you, our event was a huge success. We were able to host over 200 raisers and guests, along with more than 80 puppies in training. The training that we received over the weekend was invaluable in helping the raisers prepare their puppies to become successful working guides. We look forward to more opportunities to work with you in reaching the community regarding Guide Dogs for the Blind and the service it provides for the visually impaired.

Meals on Wheels San Antonio partnered with North Park Subaru during the 2015 Holiday season. To help keep home bound seniors warm, blanket donations were brought to North Park Subaru Locations. New blankets were collected at the dealerships, and then delivered by Meals on Wheels to seniors throughout Bexar county. In addition, North Park Subaru dealerships sent a fleet of cars and some very enthusiastic employees to deliver meals on a Share the Love Delivery day. The 2015-2016 Share the Love funds will continue to benefit local Meals on Wheels America Member organizations throughout the year through additional grant opportunities, Annual Conference scolarships and by sponsoring the Organization's annual March for Meals Campaign.

North Park Subaru at Dominion was pleased to support the National Wildlife Federation's Butterfly Heroes Program during Subaru Loves the Earth this past April. We planted a certified wildlife habitat here at North Park Subaru at Dominion to help save our nation's Monarch Butterflies and ultimately our food supply for years to come.

Therapy Animals of San Antonio (TASA) thanks North Park Subaru for your support of the Fiesta Pooch Parade, which was enjoyed by more than 4,000 people last year. Your generous support over the years has allowed us to meet the ever-growing needs of animal-based healing therapy. The programs offered by Therapy Animals of San Antonio positively impact the emotional healing rate in area hospitals and nursing homes, as well as organizations like Wounded Warriors. TASA is a nonprofit group that has been bringing people and animals together since 1989. It is an all-volunteer organization primarily serving Bexar County. Volunteers, along with their pets, can become registered therapy teams that are trained by TASA. They then visit assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, children's shelters, wounded warrior centers any place where a therapy dog, cat, rabbit even a guinea pig can foster the healing human-animal connection. "Animals bring so much, said Kathy Meade, president of TASA. Research shows interaction with an animal can improve mood, help people with memory problems. It can help alleviate depression and other psychiatric problems. It can help people regain the use of limbs. Studies show the mere act of petting an animal can reduce a persons heart rate and blood pressure, " she said. Each year, TASA participates in the Fiesta Pooch Parade, its only fundraiser, with all proceeds going toward the support of the various programs.

It was a great success! 403 volunteers and removed a total of 6,315 pounds of trash. The Subaru raffle items were a big hit and the volunteers gobbled up all the trail mix. Thank you again for helping sponsor the event. "Our goal with the cleanup is to raise awareness of how trash and garbage negatively impact our river which not only provides enjoyment to us but is an economic engine for the county. An added bonus is seeing coworkers, families, and friends working together and having fun while being stewards of the community," said Ray Buck, UGRA General Manager. "We have many returning volunteers and sponsors that participate in the River Clean Up year after year. I am always thrilled to see these familiar faces and impressed by their commitment to keep the Guadalupe River healthy," said Tara Bushnoe, UGRA Natural Resources Coordinator

North Park Subaru has partnered with the UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) Alumni Association for 5 years on their annual 5K "Diploma Dash": the last few years as one of their title sponsors. This event raises money for alumni programs, services and scholarships for UTSA students. We wrapped a Tangerine Orange Pearl XV CrossTrek with the event logos a few weeks before the 5K, to help promote the event and also serve as the 5K's "pace car". This year's Diploma Dash was a big success: almost 2,000 participant runners (and over 100 dogs joining them!), split up into 80 teams who raised money leading up to their 5K run. Over $150,000 for alumni association programs was raised this year: Subaru Loves Education, and North Park loves helping to promote education in our community!