$10,000 Donated To "Beards For Bucks" To Help Child Advocacy Center By Group 1 Automotive

BEDFORD, NH - Group 1 Automotive presented a check for $10,000 to the Child Advocacy Center’s Beards For Bucks fundraiser Monday at the Lexus dealership in Bedford.

The annual “Beards For Bucks” began with one police officer raising money for one Child Advocacy Center and is now the only statewide fundraising campaign for Child Advocacy Centers (CAC).

Beards for Bucks is a fun and exciting fundraiser where law enforcement officers are allowed to grow facial hair for October to support their local CAC. Beards are not required to participate as many of our top fund “razors” are female. Each law enforcement agency and individual officer who participates makes a tremendous difference for their community CAC.

Child advocacy centers are community partnerships coordinating collaborative, systematic responses to child abuse investigations and supporting child victims and their families.

The Granite State Children’s Alliance operates four New Hampshire Child Advocacy Centers that are designed to be child/family-friendly, trauma-informed, victim-centered, neutral settings for joint investigations and forensic interviews of child victims of crime involving sexual abuse, felony-level physical abuse, and child witnesses to violence such as a homicide or a serious domestic assault.

Child advocacy centers help break the cycle of child abuse and support victims on a path to healing.

Beards for Bucks dollars, unlike other funding sources for non-profit CACs, have no restrictions for the donations made through this campaign. These funds can and have been used to improve the CAC's ability to provide a safe, trauma-informed, and supportive environment for the children and families who come through our doors.

Manchester Police Detective Adrianne Davenport accepted the donation of $10,000 from Group 1 Automotive at the company’s Lexus dealership. Detective Davenport is one of many officers at Manchester Police who join other officers across the state to raise thousands of dollars annually.

The money raised through their efforts goes directly to the local CAC to continue the work of the Multidisciplinary team and collective effort to help the most vulnerable of victims of abuse, children.

Funds can be used for anything from purchasing a new Keurig for the family waiting area to contributing to the development of on-site behavioral health services at a center.

It is not too late to donate to this great organization and you can click Detective Davenport’s link for fundraising

For more information about Child Advocacy Centers and Beards for Bucks please visit www.cac-nh.org/beards-for-bucks/

Participants from Group 1 Automotive include in the back row from left to right: Nigel Long GM of Ira Lexus Manchester, Mark Wilkins GM of BMW of Stratham, and Mike Espey GM of Mercedes-Benz of Manchester. In the front row left to right: Lori Talanian Director of Corporate Partnerships Group 1 Automotive, Jeff Kleiner Assistant to Market Director Group 1 Automotive.

Also in the photo were Megan Oliviero, and Amy-Lynn Sullivan from the Hillsborough County CAC. and Manchester Police Detectives Sgt. Brian Fleming and Lt Nick Georgoulis.

Group 1 Automotive owns 201 dealerships worldwide, 27 dealerships throughout NH, ME, and MA, and just last week acquired Prime Subaru in Manchester.

Lori Talanian Director of Corporate Partnerships Group 1 Automotive says the company is very focused on giving back to the communities that they serve.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news