In the Press

Mar 9, 2011

http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2011/03/09/news/doc4d76b09b904b4273093972.txt
By Steve Vaughan

YORK — Charlie Marcotte regards Family Service Day, which his American Pride Automotive rolls out every six weeks, as more than just a nice thing for single parents.

“It’s not so much about the free service,” he said. “It’s our witness to other small businesses that you can do something for the community without costing yourself too much money.”

Employees come in on Saturday, normally their day off, to donate their time to single parents. Routine maintenance ranges from oil changes to brake jobs to state inspections.

He said of his staff, “Probably 95 percent are from single-parent families, and they see this as something they can do to help change things.”

Typically more than 35 vehicles run through Family Service Day. The program extends to military spouses whose service members are deployed overseas.

American Pride has been offering the big day for 18 months, alternating between the Yorktown and upper-York garages.

This Saturday a couple of celebrity grease monkeys will pitch in. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1st) and State Sen. Tommy Norment (R-3rd) have committed to work.

“A single parent can come in and have his or her car serviced by a senator or a congressman,” Marcotte marveled.

The benefit depends on whether the legislators know what they’re doing under the hood. “Oh, we’re going to give them some back-up to make sure it gets done right,” Marcotte said.

He joked that the experience might help them. “You aren’t supposed to be a politician forever. It will be good for them to have a trade to fall back on.”

Why Saturdays?

“Sometimes it’s not about the money,” Marcotte said. “Single parents are so busy. It’s good for them to come somewhere where they can get away from the chaos for a while.”

Response has been good.

“We don’t want it to get so busy that we don’t have time to talk to folks,” he said. “We don’t want to be like McDonald’s, where we move as many people through as fast as we can.”

Want to go? Family Service Day will be held this Saturday, March 12, at American Pride Automotive on Airport Road. Call 595-2755 to schedule an appointment.

Oct 9, 2010

WYDaily
http://www.wydaily.com/local-news/3200-good-to-know-car-maintenance-help-for-single-parents-in-need.html

This feature article on American Pride's Family Service Day is a great testament of our commitement to our community and how this program benefits those in need.

Apr 18, 2010

Insider's Passport
http://insiderspassport.com/View-by-tag/Auto+Tips/

This Insider's Passport article highlights the benefits of conducting business with high quality, reputable dealers when you're in the used car market. This article is brought to readers by American Pride Automotive.