HELPING HAND
In partnership with the United Way of West Virginia, the Ball Toyota Family Dealerships announced a donation of $50,000 to WVU students and $250,000 to WV CASA.
Ball Toyota, L&S Toyota and Advantage Toyota announced in October that the group of dealerships owned by the Ball family would be donating $250,000 to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). L&S Toyota donated $50,000 to the West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
Through a new partnership with CASA and the United Way of West Virginia, the money will help support children assisted through the court system and state CASA volunteers.
Aiming to help children affected by the pandemic, the funds will be applied to all 55 counties in West Virginia.
Shawn Ball, Ball Toyota president, to The Charleston Gazette. “My brother and partner David Ball and I wanted to find a way to bring some relief to kids. Raising awareness, shining a light on poverty is the goal. We all need to work toward a solution and protect our children.”
According to West Virginia CASA, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, volunteers donate five to seven hours of their time each month to advocate for children involved in child protection cases.
“’Court appointed’ means that those children have gone through trauma and abuse,” says Delegate Danielle Walker, a WV CASA board member, to The Charleston Gazette. “Child advocacy is the blood, sweat and tears of every CASA director, employee, volunteer and board member. The Ball family has given us more than just a check; they have paved the way to make sure that no child within the borders of West Virginia will go without.”
L&S Toyota’s annual gift of $50,000 to WVU will go toward scholarships and an emergency contingency fund for Tech students.
“I think the generosity of the Ball family is not only important,” says E. Gordon Gee, WVU president. “But it is also a signal about the importance of what we’re trying to accomplish in this state in terms of making sure our children thrive.”
