CARSTAR North America recently announced that it had surpassed its 2017 fundraising goal of $375,000 to fight cystic fibrosis.

While cystic fibrosis (CF) is the charity of choice for CARSTAR North America, the network’s franchise partners have been a driving force behind fundraising initiatives, for fighting the disease.

“This is a landmark moment in CARSTAR’s history as we’ve not only exceeded our highest fundraising goal ever, but we’ve officially designated cystic fibrosis as our charity of choice for CARSTAR North America,” says Michael Macaluso, President, CARSTAR North America.  “CARSTAR is incredibly unique in that our franchise partners embody kindness, and are relentless in their drive to moving the needle forward for cystic fibrosis research, innovation and care.”

There were a multitude of ways partners, vendors and CARSTAR locations from across North America were able to fundraise to fight cystic fibrosis. Some examples included:

• Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History: CARSTAR locations from across Canada participated in the annual Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History, with some locations even hosting their local walk.
• Shine Month: From holding a yoga event, to organizing a car wash, CARSTAR locations teamed up with local CF chapters to raise awareness, funds and support throughout the month of June.
• 1NE CARSTAR Conference: Taking a ride around the Charlotte Motor Speedway in a racecar, participating in the Victory Lap charity walk and purchasing donated items from a charity auction were just some of the fundraising initiatives that attendees took part in.
• Big Joe Bobblehead: The Ottawa REDBLACKS along with the Ottawa CARSTAR locations sold ‘Big Joe’ bobbleheads with $20,000 raised and donated directly to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
• Skate In Strides: A partnership with the Calgary Flames Foundation and TJ Brodie, where every Skate in Strides pair of skate guards and hats purchased, TJ Brodie and the Calgary Flames Foundation match those proceeds.
• Edmonton Oilers Partnership: CARSTAR donated $500 to Cystic Fibrosis Canada, for every overtime game played by the Oilers for the season, and was matched by $250 from the Oilers Foundation.
• Annual Meetings: Throughout the year, CARSTAR North America hosts various regional and national meetings, and thanks to the generous support of our vendors, these meetings have turned into fantastic fundraising events.

Beginning in 1997, CARSTAR Canada committed to fundraising for cystic fibrosis, after the diagnosis of a franchise partner’s granddaughter. Since then, the partnership has progressed far beyond anyone’s expectations, raising over $3 million for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Now evolving to include U.S. franchise partners, vendors and affiliates, CARSTAR is fighting cystic fibrosis, North American-wide.