Five Warsaw non-profits splitting $10K donation from Belle Tire

Belle Tire Distributors Inc. presented donations to the five participating charities of the Warsaw Choose Your Charity Challenge, a program that took place for two months following the store’s grand opening event.

The company has donated a combined total of $10,000 to the following organizations: Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County, Baker Youth Club, The Beaman Home, Combined Community Services and Kosciusko County EMA.

“One of our core values at Belle Tire is committing to and investing in the communities we call home, focusing on customer service, job creation and local organizations that make our communities a better place,” said Don Barnes III, Belle Tire president. “This was a sincere community effort, and the people in Warsaw were the ones who made this challenge possible.”

The Choose Your Charity Challenge program has been implemented in other stores throughout Indiana. Including Warsaw, thus far Belle Tire has donated a total of $30,000 to 15 local charities. From August 11 to October 13, community members who purchased tires or got their car serviced at the Belle Tire Warsaw location had the opportunity to choose which of the five organizations they would like Belle Tire to donate a portion of the proceeds to. All donations were made by Belle Tire, at no cost to customers.

Animal Welfare League topped the list with the most votes and received $3,406.85, followed by Baker Youth Club, whose votes amounted to $2,487.75. The Beaman Home was presented with $1,617.65, while Combined Community Services received $1,519.61. Kosciusko County EMA received $968.14.

Director of retail operation Ray Turner, alongside Warsaw assistant store manager, Tony Croy, presented the checks to representatives of each organization.

“It was heart-warming to witness how eager people were to vote and donate to their favorite charity,” said John Hoggarth, Warsaw store manager.

“The best part of working for Belle Tire is our commitment to the community and proving that we’re a good neighbor, not just another tire store. Working for a company like this makes it easy to come to work every day, and we are very proud to be a part of Warsaw community.”

This is Belle Tire’s third completed Choose Your Charity Challenge in Indiana.