FastLaneNovember2020 - 7

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Special DRVPNK
Message from
Mike Jackson

BY PAULA LEVENSON
DIRECTOR, PURPOSE &
BRAND MARKETING

In The Time of a Pandemic
In March of this year, COVID-19 put
the brakes on nearly all of our
DRV PNK efforts. Events? Cancelled.
Activities? Stopped.

Even though there were no in-person events
on the schedule, that didn't mean we couldn't
contribute remotely. We supported a Virtual
Lauren's run in Atlanta, a virtual children's
hospital 5K in Phoenix and a Virtual Miles for
Moffit run in Tampa.

But even though the virus brought most our plans
to a standstill, the need for DRV PNK never went
away. Cancer wasn't going anywhere, and we felt
an obligation to continue our program in a safe,
productive manner.

Perhaps the biggest change was the way we
conducted our 5th Annual DRV PNK Across
America. Our tradition of stuffing care bags and
delivering them to cancer facilities simply wasn't
feasible for this year. But we didn't miss a beat.
Instead of doing the collection and assembly
ourselves, we ordered care bags from a trusted
vendor, had them fulfilled and ensured they were
shipped promptly to those in need. As a personal
touch, Associates took pictures of themselves
sending their support virtually, and these were
included with all shipments. We even included
special appreciation gifts for the front-line cancer
caregivers doing so much for their patients.

So what did we do? We gave ourselves the
challenge of reinventing DRV PNK. We developed
responsible strategies that would allow us to
keep helping patients find life-saving care and
deliver researchers the funding they need to
continue their search for cures. After all, our
charity partners depend on us for support, and
we weren't about to let them down.
Adapting to this new normal meant shifting our
cash register charity program to collect donations
for the American Cancer Society's COVID-19
Response Fund. The end result? We raised
$250,000 for cancer patients with critical needs.

While our mission may look different this year,
thanks to your support, your flexibility and your
belief that what we do as a company matters,
DRV PNK continues to make a difference, even
during a pandemic.

FASTLANE 7
https://www.autonation.com/drive-pink
FastLaneNovember2020

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