Park Place Lexus Grapevine hosted the kickoff for the 2021 GRACE Christmas Cottage. Guests were encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the event.  By the end of the evening, a Lexus LC500 convertible and two Lexus SUVs were overflowing with toys and gifts for GRACE, an acronym for Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange.

“We’ve partnered with GRACE for more than a decade,” said Robert Hinkle, Park Place Lexus Grapevine general manager. “Now more than ever, many families in our community might not have Christmas without our help. We want to make sure every child in our community has a Christmas to remember. The GRACE Toy Drive makes it easy to give back.”

During the kickoff event, Christmas music serenaded guests as they enjoyed sweet and savory treats from Southlake Town Square’s restaurants including Brio Italian Grille’s sliced steak bruschetta, pasta, and pumpkin bread; Del Frisco’s Grille’s deviled eggs, seared tuna crisp, and lemon cake pops; and Mi Cocina’s beef, brisket and cheese quesadillas, mini chimichangas and bacon-wrapped shrimp brochettes with a poblano cream sauce. A selection of beer, wine, and cocktails set the festive mood, including the special Mistletoe Martini, made with Tito’s Vodka, Elderflower Liqueur, and cranberry juice.

Models displayed fashions from Southlake Town Square merchants, including Malouf’s, Market by Macy’s, and White House Black Market.

The GRACE Christmas Cottage provides new, unwrapped gifts to families facing financial hardship due to limited incomes or recent emergencies. Each qualified family is given a voucher with a value based on the number of children in the family, allowing the parents to “purchase” donated toys, home goods, and appliances in a private, store-like setting. This approach allows families to budget their resources to select unique presents while also preserving the family’s dignity.

The community is invited to drop off a new, unwrapped toy for the GRACE Christmas Cottage through Dec. 15 at the Lexus dealership at 901 Highway 114 East, or drop them off at GRACE Christmas Cottage at 1058 Texan Trail in Grapevine. To make a monetary donation to the GRACE Christmas Holiday Fund, go to gracegrapevine.org.

GRACE was organized in 1987 as a response to the growing need for emergency assistance services in far northeast Tarrant County. Today, GRACE continues to be a centralized, coordinated effort of churches, businesses, and individuals donating food, clothing, monetary donations, and even professional services to Grapevine, Colleyville, and Southlake residents, as well as homeless and transient families in need. Programs have grown to include low-cost medical services, transitional housing, and general emergency assistance (food, clothes, furniture, financial assistance, information, and referrals).

The term “hipster” can have many meanings these days, but for the adults who attend My Possibilities (MP) in Collin County, the term is much more than a label. For them, HIPsters stands for Hugely Important People, and they have an important role to play in society.

Recently a group of HIPsters stepped out of their comfort zone to take a tour of the Park Place Lexus Plano dealership and participate in an auto safety expo, including demonstrations on how to safely jump-start a battery and check the air pressure on a tire. The goal of the field trip was to better prepare the HIPsters to flourish in the community.

“Everyone who interacted with these amazing young people received much more than they gave,” said Chris Brunner, Park Place Lexus General Manager. “The HIPsters were attentive and witty and full of life. We were thrilled to meet them and plan to host another group soon.”

MP is a Plano-based non-profit that serves as a pioneering leader in vocational education and job placement for adults, 18 and above, with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) such as Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injuries, and many more diagnoses.

“We first met with Park Place Lexus in February 2019,” says Michael Thomas, Executive Director of My Possibilities. “Our Campus Life Manager Jamie Zozaya engaged Park Place, and they were eager to help. We were unable to move forward with our annual gala due to the pandemic, and some things were put on hold. As we began to reopen, Park Place was first to step in, and they made ‘Welcome Back’ signs for our HIPsters’ first day back on campus. They also joined our car parade for North Texas Giving Day last September. Through coordination with our Campus Life Manager, one of Park Place’s shop teams came out on their own time and brought supplies to trim bushes and edge the front of the MP campus. We are grateful for Park Place’s intentions and its genuine passion for giving back. They are true HIPster Heroes!”

Park Place Lexus members who set up the tour, put together swag bags, and conducted the auto safety expo included Assistant Service Manager Stephen Enloe (whose younger brother was a HIPster and now works at a restaurant in Allen); Service Warranty Administrator Romayne Brown; GM Administrative Assistant Katie Stutts; Preowned Sales Administrator Olivia White; HR Krissi Elliott; and GM Chris Brunner.

The Park Place Cares program supports more than 250 organizations around the Dallas-Fort Worth area throughout the year. Park Place’s members are also encouraged to volunteer their time to serve local communities.

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987. For the past 34 years, the company has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place Dealerships employs more than 1,400 members and operates two collision centers, an auto auction, and eight full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Sprinter Vans. For more info, visit parkplace.com.