At Subaru de Laval, it's about more than just selling quality cars. It's also about giving back to the community and making a difference. Erik Durand, General Manager, talks about the company's involvement with various charitable events.

Worthy Causes
When asked how Subaru de Laval makes choices on what causes and organizations to support, Durand admits it’s tough. “There are so many worthwhile causes,” he says. “But when I heard the statistics from the Canadian Cancer society stating that 1 in 2 Canadians is expected to develop cancer during their lifetime, I knew we had to help.”

Besides helping others, Durand also believes that partaking in activities with his team members outside work cultivates team morale and motivation. It’s more than just a job; the employees are emotionally invested and willingly volunteer their time. Durand himself attends every event to set the precedence.

“I see my team members as extensions of my family,” Durand says. “We teach good values and we help each other. There’s a certain feeling of comradery among us.” In short, people feel good when they do good things.

Here’s a list of Subaru de Laval’s upcoming efforts.

The Canadian Cancer Society
On Saturday, June 9th, the Canadian Cancer Society will host “Relay for Life.” It’s a community fundraising event where Canadians come together in the fight against cancer. Team members take turns walking around a designated path for an extended period of time.

The event begins at dusk and ends at dawn the next morning, symbolising the deep emotional journey cancer patients face while undergoing treatment. The slogan “cancer does not sleep” is taken to the next level. Since cancer does not sleep, neither will any of the participants.

Subaru de Laval will participate and have already accumulated $2,700 out of their end goal of 5,000$. In addition to fundraising to sponsor research, the participants will march all night long as a way to honour those who lost the battle against cancer, and pay tribute to the survivors.

Anyone is welcome to make a donation or build their own teams. Every dollar counts. The Canadian Cancer Society has hosted 415 events and already raised over $25M.

Subaru Meet Club
In an effort to fundraise even more money for the Relay for Life, Subaru de Laval held a special event called the Subaru Meet Club on Saturday, May 5th. Subaru fans and vehicle enthusiasts were invited to meet up to show off their vehicles. These enthusiasts are proud to own a Subaru, and often put a great deal of money into its maintenance. They enjoy meeting other like-minded people to share tips and stories.

The entrance was free and there was a barbeque, refreshments, car washes, live music and other forms of animation. All proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society. Hop onto the Subaru de Laval Facebook page for more details.

Other Special Events
Subaru de Laval also participated in the “National Denim Day” event organized by The CURE Foundation. It specifically benefits breast cancer and took place Tuesday, May 15th. Employees are encouraged to wear denim along with pink ribbons and make a five-dollar donation. In addition, Subaru de Laval will match each donation. Other workplaces are also invited to participate in National Denim Day.

In an ongoing effort to support the fight against breast cancer, Subaru de Laval will also sponsor the event “Golf fore the CURE” on Saturday, June 9th. The event invites women of all backgrounds to play golf and have fun while raising money. 100<>percentage<> of the funds raised will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Other than supporting those affected by cancer, Subaru de Laval also supports environmental causes. The company will celebrate Earth Day in a special way. On Friday, May 4th, employees honoured this important day by doing a spring clean-up and picking up trash in the surrounding lots.

All these endeavours are the company’s way of giving back. “Giving back to the community and making a difference in people’s lives is extremely rewarding,” Durand says. “And it’s also an opportunity for our employees to spend quality time together doing something for a good cause. It’s a win-win situation.”