(PRINCETON, NJ – DECEMBER 12, 2013) – During
the holiday season, we’re often reminded “it’s better to give than to receive”
-- a mantra that NAFA Fleet Management Association has long believed in. In recent years, the Association has pitched
in with Habitat for Humanity projects in the cities where NAFA’s annual
conference has taken place, held an annual charity silent auction in the name of
Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and raised thousands to help with
Hurricane Sandy recovery. On December
11, NAFA was recognized by the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives
(MASAE) for the Association’s ongoing commitment to its community and the needs
of others.
“NAFA considers this to be one of the
highest honors it has ever earned,” said NAFA’s Executive Director Phillip E.
Russo, CAE.
NAFA’s involvement with Habitat for
Humanity began in 2009 when the Association’s annual conference was held in New
Orleans. The City was still recovering
from Hurricane Katrina and the need for new housing was paramount. NAFA teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and
LeasePlan USA (whose President and CEO Mike Pitcher hailed from New Orleans) and
began what became an annual pre-conference ritual. In the years that have followed, NAFA and
LeasePlan have taken part in Habitat for Humanity projects in Detroit, MI;
Charlotte, NC, St. Louis, MO; and Atlantic City, NJ. In addition, monetary contributions from NAFA,
combined with matching donations, have added up to more than $25,000 presented
to Habitat for Humanity during the last five years.
In addition to the Habitat for Habitat
projects, NAFA’s annual conference also found a way to tie charitable work in
with the exhibitors on the Expo Floor.
A silent auction allowed exhibitors to gain extra traffic to their booth
by providing gifts and prizes sold to the highest bidder. All proceeds from the auctioned items went to
Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Since 2010, NAFA’s donations to St.
Jude’s have exceeded $20,000.
Closer to home, when Russo watched the
images of Hurricane Sandy on the news, he knew the Association had to
help. NAFA’s headquarters are not only
located in New Jersey (one of the states that was badly hit by the storm) but,
as luck would have it, Atlantic City, NJ was the site for the annual conference
in 2013. Between NAFA’s own
contributions, those from NAFA chapters, and those from industry partners, over
$8,000 was raised for the recovery efforts.
"No one at NAFA went into these
activities with the idea of getting recognition for doing this work,” said
Russo. “We have so much to be thankful for and we consider it an honor – and a
duty – to share our gifts with others."
About NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the world’s premier non-profit
association for professionals who manage fleets of sedans, public safety
vehicles, trucks, and buses of all types and sizes, and a wide range of
military and off-road equipment for organizations across the globe. NAFA is the
association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of
organizational type, geographic location or fleet composition. NAFA’s Full and
Associate Members are responsible for the specification, acquisition,
maintenance and repair, fueling, risk management, and remarketing of more than
3.5 million vehicles including in excess of 1.1 million trucks of which 350
thousand are medium- and heavy-duty trucks. For more information on the
Association visit http://www.nafa.org. Follow NAFA on Facebook and Twitter
@nafafleet.
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