It’s hard to believe that the Holiday Season is already here and Morrie’s Chippewa Valley Mazda is committed to bringing joy to the local Chippewa Valley and Eau Claire Community. For 5 years Bill Bertrand, General Manager, at Morrie’s Chippewa Valley Mazda has given away over a dozen cars to individuals and families during the 60 Days Of Giving. The first giveaway for the season took place last week at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) were Bill and his team gave a Mazda3 and a $500 gift card for gas to Alex Mitchell, a student at the university. Family and friends alike showed up in support and several news stations were present to share the amazing story on local channels.
Alex had suffered a debilitating injury a few years prior in which he broke his neck in a snowboarding accident. Vicky Thomas, Director of Disability Services at UWEC has been working with Alex during his time at the college to find ways to help Alex around campus. He has had to overcome several challenges with campus buildings being spread out and an elevation difference between the two main parts of the campus. Alex was recently approved to have driver assists installed on a vehicle to allow him to finally get behind the wheel again. With that news Vicky and Alex had discussed the benefits a vehicle would have for his mobility around the university. The very same day she had discussed this with Alex she found out about the 60 Days Of Giving and submitted a nomination. Bill and the team were moved by Alex’s story and his efforts to overcome serious adversity.
“To me there’s nothing better than having the chance to give this to somebody who I know is going to do something amazing” Bill told Alex. With that said, Alex has definitely been making some amazing strides in his recovery process. This vehicle will give him one more piece of his independence as he has been relying on family for most of his transportation. “For any 21 year old you want to be independent and be on your own and this is going to be life changing for me and make my life so much simpler” Alex said during his interview with the Morrie’s team.
Morrie’s Chippewa Valley Mazda still has one more car to give to someone in need this season and we couldn’t be happier to bring you coverage of this amazing outreach effort by Bill and his team! Stay tuned for the second 60 Days Of Giving giveaway in January! If you know someone who is deserving of a vehicle this holiday season visit: http://www.morrieschippewavalleymazda.com/60days/
