The Henning family celebrates their 14th year of Fallon Ford-Toyota’s Pay It Forward program on Dec. 20. Back row, from left: Clint, Kurt, Miles and Chris. Middle, from left: Tyffani, Debi and Ember. Front, from left: Lili, Travis, Kamiah and Luke.
Joseph Gagliardo/Fallon Ford-Toyota
The giant check of Fallon Ford-Toyota’s Pay It Forward program says, “We Love Our Community,” and the Henning family’s company has proven that for 14 years.
“Every time we sell a vehicle we ask the customer who’s buying (the vehicle) which of these programs they would like us to donate $50 to,” General Manager Tim Mitchell said, gesturing to the program’s tracking board on the wall. “That amount adds up over the course of the year.”
The recipient nonprofit organizations were invited Friday to the showroom to pick up their check in a Christmas party atmosphere.
“This is one of our favorite days of the year,” Mitchell said. “It’s a way we can give back to the community.”
The donation total since 2011 reached a milestone of half a million dollars this summer and ended the calendar year at $528,650. The nonprofit groups are chosen annually from a pool of applications submitted in January. Mitchell said the company appreciates the variety of groups that benefit from the donations, from the military to the rodeo and the performing arts, and all age categories.
Fallon Youth Club board members Gary Imelli and Penny Valentine Faith said the $5,000 Pay It Forward check will support activities and projects for local youth, as well as the new FYC Little Clubhouse child care center which opened in April at 1035 S. Taylor St.
Pat Whitten said she was very happy to receive the $1,150 on behalf of the Lahontan Valley Claybreakers. The team-based clay target shooting program teaches youth in fourth through 12th grades responsibility, teamwork and sportsmanship through a firearm safety curriculum. They will use the funds for competition fees and to purchase safety equipment and ammunition for practices.
William N. Pennington Life Center Senior and Disability Services Manager Jill Manha said the $5,000 will help the center move toward its continuous goal of expanding activities and services. She said a top priority in the coming year is for the senior community to take more fun and safe trips out of Fallon as a group, such as to the Reno Aces baseball games.
Fallon Community Theatre board member Star Olsen said the $1,350 will go toward the overhead costs associated with running the nonprofit theater and the licensing fees for the group to continue showing movies with free admission every weekend.
Domestic Violence Intervention Fallon Executive Director Carin Gomes said she hopes the $5,000 donation will help the organization to fill a great need this year of finding people who can help their clients navigate the legal system for the issues, such as divorce, that surround domestic violence.
“They don’t necessarily have to be a lawyer,” Gomes said. “They do really need to have a heart for helping in domestic violence situations and understand the laws.”
Pregnancy Care Center of Churchill County, which changed its name from Care Net this year and also moved to a new location at 1000 Auction Road, received a $1,650 check from Pay It Forward. Executive Director Monica Miller said the next big project for the center is to purchase an onsite ultrasound machine.
Churchill Area Rapid Transit Interim Director Cathy Lucero said the $700 funding from Pay It Forward will help to expand CART’s services further into the rural areas.
Performing Arts of Churchill County Director Tim Wuth accepted the $650 donation toward the group’s upcoming children’s spring musical, “The Land of Make Believe.” Audition applications for students in third through eighth grades open Jan. 4 at paccnv.org.
2024 NUMBERS
$5,000 Fallon Youth Club
$5,000 William N. Pennington Life Center
$5,000 Churchill County 4-H club
$5,000 Domestic Violence Intervention Fallon
$4,350 Fallon Youth Athletics
$2,700 Family In Need Fund
$2,250 Renown Children’s Network
$1,650 Pregnancy Care Center of Churchill County
$1,650 Boys and Girls Club of Fernley
$1,400 Fallon Rodeo Club
$1,350 Fallon Community Theatre
$1,150 Lahontan Valley Claybreakers
$1,150 CCHS Navy Junior ROTC
$700 Churchill Area Rapid Transit
$650 Performing Arts of Churchill County