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4th Annual Season Of Giving Kicks Off Today Offering Up To A Total Of $100,000 In Grants To Nonprofits

Park Place Dealerships Opens Applications through October 25 and Invites Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Charities to Apply

For the fourth consecutive year, Park Place Dealerships is giving away a total of $100,000 in grants through its SEASON OF GIVING campaign to non-profits making a positive impact in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth community. Beginning today through October 25, eligible organizations are invited to apply at ParkPlaceCares.com. Recipients will be announced the week of November 18, 2024.

“Through the SEASON OF GIVING, we provide grants to local organizations that align with our four pillars of giving,” said Tony Carimi, Managing Director of Park Place Dealerships. “SEASON OF GIVING goes beyond providing critical funds. Our Members at Park Place are deeply involved, volunteering their time and talents year-round. It’s incredible to witness the ripple effect of their dedication, as our team’s creativity and passion help make an even larger impact across our community.”  

Non-profit organizations applying must fit the following criteria:

  • Organization must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
  • The charity must support one of Park Place Cares’ Pillars of Giving, which include: Education; Medical Research; Children’s Advocacy; or the Arts.
  • The charity must serve in at least one of the following counties: Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Rockwall, Kaufman, Hunt, Wise or Johnson.
  • The charity cannot already have received donations or in-kind support from Park Place in 2024.
  • Charities must apply by October 25, 2024.

Under Park Place Dealerships’ philanthropic arm of Park Place Cares, SEASON OF GIVING offers local non-profits the opportunity to apply for a one-time, end of year grant. Since 2021, Park Place Dealerships has awarded a total of $300,000 to 65 charities across North Texas that are making a real difference in our communities.

“There are countless charities in our community who are doing incredible work, yet lack the necessary resources to make a bigger impact,” said Kara Connor, Park Place Dealership’s Experiential Marketing Manager. “Through SEASON OF GIVING, we have discovered nonprofits of all sizes making a meaningful difference in North Texas. We want non-profits to know we see you and will continue to do what we can to amplify your incredible work.”

Eighteen North Texas non-profits received a 2023 Season of Giving grant from Park Place Dealerships out of more than 400 applications. One of the non-profits included the Apollo Support & Rescue in Justin, Texas. When the Park Place Lexus Grapevine general manager Charles Owen and Members of his team arrived at the no-kill animal shelter last year to present a grant, they encountered Zeke, a five-year old Bernese Mountain dog. The owner had just arrived to surrender the sweet dog. Charles ended up adopting Zeke, and Apollo received their grant!

Park Place goes above and beyond with the Season of Giving grant recipients by looking for additional opportunities to support the non-profits with Members volunteering throughout the year. The Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas sends care packages to U.S. military troops serving abroad. Park Place provided a 2023 grant to support their mission and in early 2024 Park Place Members spent the day packing basic toiletries, socks, snacks, candy, and letters for American soldiers.

“We have built strong relationships with many incredible non-profits that continue to make an impact on the world,” said Connor. “We are really excited to meet this year’s SEASON OF GIVING recipients and explore how we can collaborate to help them achieve their goals moving forward.”

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Park Place Dealerships Presents the BOO Yard Sign Challenge to Benefit Children’s Health

Make this Halloween Spook-tacular While Supporting a Great Cause!

Park Place Dealerships is thrilled to announce the BOO Yard Sign Challenge, a fun and festive way for North Texas families to celebrate Halloween while supporting pediatric patients at Children’s Health. This community-driven initiative, hosted by the Women’s Auxiliary to Children’s Medical Center, encourages the community to “BOO” their friends and neighbors by secretly leaving BOO signs in their yards and Halloween treats at their doorsteps while raising funds for Children’s Health patients.

The challenge runs through Oct. 31, 2024. Participants can purchase a BOO yard sign for $25 at childrens.com/boo, and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Children’s Health to support their mission to make life better for children. Participation is easy and fun, and includes the following activities:

  • Purchasing a BOO Yard Sign – Signs are available for purchase online at childrens.com/boo for $25 each.
  • Pick Up Your Sign – Choose your closest neighborhood pickup location in Dallas or Plano at Park Place Porsche, Park Place Motorcars Dallas or Park Place Lexus Plano, during checkout by searching your home, work, or school zip code. Signs are available now for pickup.
  • BOO Your Neighbors – Place the BOO yard sign in your neighbor’s yard and leave Halloween goodies at their doorsteps without them seeing you! Each sign comes with instructions on how recipients can join the challenge and keep the spooky spirit alive throughout the neighborhood.

“Our goal is to spread joy throughout the community by placing a BOO sign on every lawn in North Texas while supporting patients at Children’s Health this Halloween,” said Kara Connor, Experiential Marketing Manager of Park Place Dealerships. “This initiative is an exciting way to engage with neighbors and rally around Children’s Health in their mission to provide quality medical care to children in our community who need it most.”

Make this Halloween a memorable one for your community and help bring smiles to the faces of young patients at Children’s Health. For more information or to purchase your BOO yard sign, visit childrens.com/boo.

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Park Place Dealerships Lends a Helping Hand for Back-to-School Efforts Across North Texas

Park Place Dealerships continues its long-standing commitment to community support by partnering with several local organizations for a series of back-to-school initiatives. These efforts include volunteering at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County’s Back to School Fair, along with school supply drives benefitting students in Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth.

Park Place team members volunteered at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County’s Back to School Fair. The event provided backpacks and essential school supplies to children in need, ensuring they are prepared for the upcoming school year. Park Place members worked directly with families, distributing supplies and sharing in the excitement of helping children start their school year with confidence.

In addition to volunteering, Park Place Dealerships has organized multiple school supply drives across its North Texas locations:

  • Park Place Motorcars Dallas and Porsche Dallas partnered with For Oak Cliff, an organization focused on enhancing opportunities in South Dallas, to collect school supplies for students in the community.
  • Park Place Motorcars Arlington supported Pearcy STEM Academy and the Boys & Girls Club of Arlington through a school supply drive, aiming to provide these young scholars with the tools they need to thrive.
  • Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth collected supplies for The Welman Project, which helps redirect surplus materials from businesses to schools and nonprofits, ensuring under-resourced classrooms are well-equipped.

“Our commitment to education and the next generation is at the core of our community engagement,” said Kara Connor, Experiential Marketing Manager of Park Place Dealerships. “By supporting local schools and organizations through these supply drives, we aim to ensure that every child starts the school year with the resources they need to succeed.”

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. 

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Local Resident Places First In Statewide Auto Body Association Competition

Dallas technician Adrian Ortiz recently won first place in the Paint Competition at the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) BIG SHOTS Competition at the Irving Convention Center.

“The best part was I got to try new products and learn new things,” said Ortiz. “These are things I can apply daily in my job. The biggest opportunity was being trusted to step into the booth to show what I had learned over the course of my career thus far.”

Ortiz has worked for Park Place Bodywerks for 18 years. He is a certified painter for Bentley, McLaren, and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.

“It is a great honor that our Members can publicly show their strengths and represent Park Place in such a good light,” said Brandon Gillespy, Bodywerks Dallas Shop Manager. “We celebrate their accomplishments and value their commitment to excellence.”

Born and raised in East Dallas, Ortiz graduated from Woodrow Wilson High and the Autobody Tech program at Eastfield Community College. He married his high school sweetheart, Johanna, and they live on the east side of White Rock Lake with their two children. In his free time, Ortiz is restoring his high school car: a 1962 Chevy Nova.


When asked what advice he’d give someone just starting out in the business, Ortiz answered, “Be a sponge and ask questions…learn as much as possible. We have some of the best technicians in the country that reside within the walls at Park Place.”

Other Bodywerks Dallas members representing Park Place in the annual statewide competition included Philip Glass, who placed third in the Estimating Competition out of 25 participants, and Bodywerks Estimator Davis Richards, a two-time winner in the competition. After his first place win last year, Richards volunteered to judge the 2024 estimating competition.

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Park Place Land Rover DFW Wins Pinnacle and Wilks Elite Awards

Park Place Land Rover DFW was one of only 12 dealerships in the United States to receive the coveted Land Rover Pinnacle Retailer Excellence Award. In addition, the Grapevine dealership also received the Wilks Elite designation for being the top in sales in the largest volume group nationwide.

“Achieving the Pinnacle Award is a testament to the dedication and performance of our entire team,” said Matt Woolsey, Land Rover DFW General Manager.  “We are all committed to delivering unparalleled service to our clients and I am incredibly proud of the team’s hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence.”

The 12 Land Rover dealerships which received the Pinnacle Award were selected based on their performance in core business categories including exceptional sales, service and customer satisfaction. Park Place Land Rover DFW has earned the Pinnacle Awards multiple times over the years.

Park Place Land Rover DFW is located at 1300 E. State Highway 114, just west of Main Street in Grapevine.

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Park Place Service Technicians Are Experts At Keeping Engines Purring, But This Is Next Level

Sometimes an ordinary day at work turns into a rescue mission with a happy ending. Sebastian Jimenez, a service valet at Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth, recently had an unexpected encounter. A client returning a loan car mentioned hearing a faint “meow” coming from the vehicle while stopped at a red light. Concerned, the client explained that he had seen several cats hiding under the car during a recent rainstorm and feared one might have become trapped.

Sebastian informed the service manager, Mauricio Zenon, who assembled a team of technicians including Jacob Munoz, Mark Hawkins, Josh Brunk, and Josh Chandler.

Equipped with tools, the team proceeded to the service drive to investigate rather than driving the car into the shop and potentially harming the kitten. Jacob, Mark, and Josh crawled under the vehicle and began removing panels. Before long, they discovered a kitten hiding under the passenger front side of the vehicle. The kitten was unharmed and in good spirits. In a heartwarming turn, Mark Hawkins decided to adopt the kitten and give it a new home.

The sweet kitten’s rescue was featured on WFAA and FOX 4 highlighting the compassion of the team at Park Place Dealerships.

Founded in 1987, Park Place Dealerships has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Meet D’Angalo Jackson

D’Angalo Jackson played basketball for Mississippi Valley State, an HBCU college where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2013. He went on to play pro basketball in Belgium, Italy and Mexico before joining Motorcars Fort Worth in 2015 as a Sales Experience Manager.

“What began as a lifelong ambition to own a Mercedes-Benz evolved into an understanding of the broader spectrum encompassing service, lifestyle and culture after retiring from basketball,” said Jackson. “During my training, the etiquette class taught me crucial insights on dining etiquette, attire, communication, and personal demeanor. I shared this experience with my father, and I can still hear his voice affirming, ‘You’re going to be just fine now.’ The level of investment the company made into training was unlike anything I could have imagined.”

In the fall of 2022, Jackson left Park Place to get his MBA at the TCU M.J. Neeley School of Business on a Leadership Fort Worth scholarship. Jackson recently completed his MBA and has returned to Motorcars Fort Worth.

“Data analytics play a crucial role in our day-to-day operations,” he says. “From interpreting data on CRM dashboards to enhancing sales strategies, I find immense value in my ability to problem-solve in an increasingly data-driven world.”

In his free time, he likes to give back to the community. “I enjoy constructing sustainable garden boxes with the South Side Community Gardens. I also mentor youth through basketball.” 

For someone just starting out, his advice is to “prioritize building relationships. Work diligently and make the most of the resources available to you. Stay true to your guiding principles and seek goals beyond your professional responsibilities. Remember, your career is a means to fulfill your purpose, so always strive to align it with your larger life goals.”

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Catch Up & Read Teamed Up With Park Place Dealerships For Reading Rallies In 18 Dallas ISD Schools

As the end of the school year approached, Catch Up & Read, a Dallas-based nonprofit,sought assistance in preparing for the end-of-year awards program at 18 Dallas ISD schools. During National Volunteer Month in April, members of Park Place Dealerships joined forces with Catch Up & Read for Reading Rallies to celebrate students’ success this year. They helped the nonprofit by preparing packets and awards for the year-end celebrations at these 18 schools, as well as organizing the library and reading to children.

Catch Up & Read is the only reading intervention program in North Texas that works to close the literacy gap by analyzing data, assessing student performance, leveraging technology resources, and enhancing educator preparedness through proven practices in both English and Spanish. This nonprofit equips children in underserved communities to read at grade level by 3rd grade, with the long-term goal of helping students graduate from high school and break the generational cycle of poverty.

Park Place Dealerships was featured on “Wake Up to Something Good” with Laura Harris on NBC 5, highlighting the impact Park Place volunteers had with more than 750 students and 150 specially trained teachers. The story is linked here: Local car dealerships do something good for childhood literacy

“By introducing organizations like Catch Up & Read to our members, we aim to see if it is something they are passionate about so they can give their time and energy. We can also support with funds,” said Kara Connor, Experiential Marketing Manager at Park Place Dealerships.

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.


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Thousands of North Texas Moms Get Gift Ahead of Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12 and today expectant mothers across North Texas received a special gift. Volunteers from Park Place Dealerships joined forces with the non-profit, The Vitamin Bridge in Coppell to deliver prenatal vitamins for moms-to-be with limited access to resources.

Becoming a mom is one of life’s greatest adventures, but it also comes with a lot of unknowns, especially during pregnancy. Before becoming pregnant and in the first few months of pregnancy, taking a prenatal vitamin daily that contains the right amount of folic acid, iron and calcium can reduce the risk of preterm births, low birth weights, and birth defects. The gift of prenatal vitamins helps reduce the stress for expecting moms.

The Vitamin Bridge received a grant in 2023 from Park Place Dealership’s Season of Giving campaign. Since then, Park Place has expanded its partnership with The Vitamin Bridge and today provided SUVs and volunteers to deliver 10,000 bottles of prenatal vitamins to 19 different locations throughout DFW. The parade of vehicles departed from the nonprofit’s Coppell headquarters to deliver one million doses of vitamins. 

A survey by The Harris Poll found that 43 percent of women who have been or are currently pregnant reported that the cost of vitamins affected when and whether they sought prenatal care for their pregnancy.

The Vitamin Bridge’s prenatal vitamin donation program began in September 2019. The singular focus of the organization is to provide underserved moms access to prenatal vitamins that will impact thousands of babies.

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Bonton Farms in South Dallas is Beneficiary of National Volunteer Month

April is National Volunteer Month and Bonton Farms in South Dallas was the beneficiary of volunteers from Park Place Dealerships helping with maintenance today. Volunteers assisted with trimming overgrown bushes and weeds, mulching, as well as installing and staining fence panels.

The urban farm in the small South Dallas neighborhood is important to the community which is considered a food desert. More than 48% percent of residents are living in poverty and there is a significant need to have access to healthy food options. Bonton Farms has been transformed from a small garden into two fully functioning farms, a Farmer’s Market, and a Café. 

Park Place Dealerships chose Bonton Farms as one of 17 nonprofits in DFW to volunteer with this week during National Volunteer Month. 

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.