For 25 years, CARSTAR has supported and raised awareness for cystic fibrosis
Inspired by a franchisee’s granddaughter born with cystic fibrosis, CARSTAR has helped to raise millions of dollars for the cause - and continues to serve families impacted by a disease with no cure.
Caring for the community has always been a core business practice for CARSTAR. Much of that energy is channeled through support and raised awareness for cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease with no cure. Inspired by families affected by CF, other brands in Driven Brands Collision joined the cause to help raise money and awareness.
Now, in its 25th anniversary milestone of supporting this cause, Driven Brands is celebrating the franchise partners, vendors, and community supporters who have helped raise over $4 million for CF research, care and advocacy. These funds make a tremendous impact: increased awareness and funding of research means that the life expectancy of someone living with CF is now 53.3 years old in Canada and 47 years old in the United States.
Lillian Haskett, Senior Manager for Brand Compliance & Franchise Services, has been with CARSTAR for 23 years; as a member of the marketing team, she had a front row seat to CARSTAR’s support for CF.
In this special Q&A for Giving Tuesday, Lillian shares her perspective on the 25-year commitment to CF.
Since 1997, CARSTAR has been a strong and active supporter of CF research and care. How or why did CARSTAR select cystic fibrosis as a cause?
Lillian: The CARSTAR and CF affiliation all started when one of our franchisee’s granddaughters was born with the disease. When Victoria, granddaughter of Harry Belmont, previous CARSTAR Mississauga Hawkestone owner, was born, her family received a CF diagnosis. At that time, the life expectancy of someone living with CF was 30.
How did the fundraising and awareness effort start with CARSTAR?
Lillian: It started as grassroots fundraising; we would contribute to or organize golf tournaments or donations. People would “chip in” a few dollars here and there.
When CF became CARSTAR’s charity of choice 25 years ago, we encouraged franchisees to hold local events to increase awareness within their communities. We are a caring company and work to support local chapters, so that we meet and support families affected by CF and work together in the fundraisers.
What have you learned about cystic fibrosis since then?
Lillian: When it comes to a cause like CF, the best way to learn about it is to see the human impact for yourself. A lot of our commitment to the cause is meeting with families and building relationships with them, so we know how best to support them. I have learned that CF is one of the most common fatal disorders in youth and young adults in Canada. I’ve also learned that we are making progress – the life expectancy of those affected is steadily rising and we are seeing an increase in support and awareness.
Driven Brands has several initiatives to raise money for CF. What can you tell us about the initiatives, like Shine Season and more?
Lillian: We’ve done a lot through the years to raise awareness for the cause, including the organization and management of a variety of fundraising and/or media events. Then, Shine Season was born.
It started off with a simple car wash. Now, it has grown to be a four-month season where franchisees from across North America are encouraged to host fundraisers and participate in other initiatives within their facilities to raise money for CF. We’ve rallied the whole CARSTAR network, starting with the Canadian group, to become involved by dedicating time and resources to support and fundraising. I’m proud to see how the franchisees have embraced this cause and dedicated their valuable time and efforts to this initiative.
What has been the greatest challenge in promoting this cause?
Lillian: Getting people to understand what the disease really is and the threat that it poses. It’s been recognized by health organizations for a long time, but like many other afflictions, if the individual or someone they know hasn’t been personally affected by the disease, then they really don’t understand the impacts on the family, especially when a child is born with CF.
Raising awareness, getting to know these families, and getting people to see the impact CF has on communities is the best way to overcome this challenge. There is only so much support any one person can provide, but over the years as we have continued our efforts, we have seen results, and certainly, when we get the group together like conferences or events, we see a real push.
What has been the greatest achievement you’ve seen?
Lillian: The growth of public awareness. It can be hard to build traction for a cause and keep it in the public eye for long after an event or fundraiser. With the consistency of our annual events, people are taking notice.
There are a lot of memorable moments along the way, as well. Meeting families impacted by CF to hear their stories and reaching different fundraising milestones – like in 2004 when we hit our first $1M raised. There were many fundraising initiatives that contributed to this milestone including our Halloween safety fundraiser called Frightlights, golf tournaments and the annual Casino Night Gala with proceeds going to CF.
Our CARSTAR conferences are also memorable for me. Over the course of this annual event, we raise significant funds to be donated to CF. It is incredible to see our network of franchise owners band together and motivate each other to support the cause.
What do you hope to see going forward?
Lillian: I am excited that other brands within our collision segment have been getting involved in this cause. I hope to see this continued collaboration to enhance our support so that organizations like Cystic Fibrosis Canada have the resources they need to change the meaning of CF to “cure found.”