While many businesses dabble in philanthropic efforts, for some giving back is a much deeper value that is tightly woven into their DNA. That’s the case with Jaffarian Volvo Toyota of Haverhill, MA. Founded in 1938, Jaffarian is a third and fourth generation family-owned business that has always been anchored by a passion to give back to the community it serves.
This core business value was initiated by Fred and Alice Jaffarian, the company’s first generation owners. Recognizing that organized sports developed good personality traits – like cooperation and teamwork – Jaffarian focused its philanthropic efforts on youth sports with a pledge to help local kids in need get and stay active. Over the years, the company has supported a broad range of youth sports efforts -- from Little League and YMCA Junior Football to basketball, bowling and making a major contribution to fund Haverhill High School’s first weight room.
Today, the company’s third generation President and CEO Gary Jaffarian is fully dedicated to keeping his family’s legacy strong. Through his efforts, the dealership has raised $50,000+ to offset the costs of participating in high school sports, hosted major Boston sports legends to his dealership for local youth to meet and be inspired by, and has brought busloads of kids to Celtics and Red Sox games – to name just a few.
Just this past spring, Gary decided the time was right to ground his efforts in a new initiative. His goal was to create a process where money would go directly to local kids in need, enabling them to participate in sports and activities they otherwise would not have the chance to take part in. To accomplish this, he established the Jaffarian Youth in Motion Fund, a charitable program that enables local youth in need to participate in sports and activities that provide structure, discipline, teach sportsmanship and, ultimately, promote a healthy, active lifestyle.
Through the Youth in Motion Fund, Jaffarian allocates money to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Haverhill and Lawrence. Those organizations identify where the needs are greatest among their members and distribute funds accordingly to enable kids to take part in everything from soccer to youth leadership programs. Since the clubs see day-to-day where needs are the greatest, they are the ideal partners for this effort and use the funds to pay for kids’ sports equipment, travel fees, camp gear, etc.
Since its inception, the Jaffarian Youth in Motion Fund has helped local youth take part in a wide range of activities, from field hockey to basketball to attending summer camps to youth leadership programs to participating in cheerleading squads.
Here are a few quotes that provide a glimpse into how these funds are impacting the lives of local youth:
“Thank you to the Jaffarian Youth in Motion Fund for helping us play for the sixth grade basketball team. I am thankful because I get to have shoes that my coach bought me so I can be comfortable running basketball drills. I wish to improve with the new shoes and be better than what I am.” Javian
“I want to thank you for helping me to go to camp. I really had fun there and liked swimming in the lake and meeting new people. I also liked playing new games I’ve never played before and water skiing. It was one of my favorite things even though it took me 20 times to get up! Thank you for everything!” Franklin
“Thank you for donating money so I could buy a suit of my choice for the Youth of the Year event. It helped me to feel comfortable and look presentable to the judges. The suit made me feel very professional and that gave me the confidence to speak to anyone with a smile.” Jangel
“Thank you for the sneakers and thank you for thinking about us. Thank you for giving. I can now play better in the new shoes that you got me.” Lido