On Monday, August 16^th, CAA Niagara hosted a small event at its Thorold Branch to unveil the latest Community Boost vehicles to join its fleet. The two trucks were custom decaled in the branding of it’s 2021 Community Boost partners, Gillian’s Place and Hospice Niagara. As part of the Community Boost program, the charities also received a one-time donation of $10,000 earlier this year and will receive various forms of volunteerism and support for the duration of 12 months.

Following the unveiling of the new trucks, CAA Niagara surprised Gillian’s Place and Hospice Niagara each with an additional $10,000 donation as part of its Big Boost program.

In 2020, the club implemented the Big Boost extension to its Community Boost program to support essential charities that were impacted by the pandemic. COVID-19 has continued to impact many people and businesses within Niagara, with non-profits having been particularly hard-hit, as fundraising efforts were cancelled and donations declined. In light of this, CAA Niagara decided to revive the Big Boost program for 2021. Big Boost will see a total of $100,000 donated between 14 local charities, $20,000 of which was presented to Gillian’s Place and Hospice Niagara today. Additionally, the club is also hosting a community-wide food drive, dubbed The Big Food Boost, taking place on Saturday, August 28^th and benefitting eight local food agencies.

ABOUT COMMUNITY BOOST

Launched in 2018, Community Boost was created as a way for CAA Niagara to pool its donations and sponsorship dollars to fund a highly focused corporate giving program. Each year, CAA Niagara employees are tasked with selecting two Niagara-based charities that they feel best fit the club’s core values.

The Community Boost family now includes six Niagara-based non-profit organizations—Food4Kids Niagara, Foundation of Resources for Teens (FORT), Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre, The Distress Centre of Niagara, Gillian’s Place and Hospice Niagara. The custom decaled trucks of the four previous recipients are still a part of the club’s fleet of emergency roadside vehicles and can be seen out on the road.

ABOUT CAA NIAGARA

Founded in 1911 as the St. Catharines Automobile Club with just 16 members, CAA Niagara has grown to more than 139,000 members with five Niagara locations; St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold and Grimsby. A not-for-profit membership organization, CAA Niagara, provides emergency road services, travel, insurance and member rewards.