PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2011) – From fundraising and serving as a board trustee to supporting school building projects, Peter E. Blackstock knows the importance of providing children with opportunities to succeed.

After becoming an Ambassador of the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation in 2003, Blackstock chose the Stevenson School in Northern California as his beneficiary. It’s where his daughter graduated.

“What I liked about the school is that they really understand the needs of the kids, and so there’s a lot of individual work,” said Blackstock, a Pebble Beach resident since 1981 and owner of Victory Toyota and Lexus Monterey Peninsula in Seaside, Calif.

“And I’ve seen what they have done with students who have been a little more challenged. With these kids, everybody learns in a different way,” he added. “The teachers are all hands on.”

The Stevenson School has an enrollment of 750 students on two campuses: pre-kindergarten to grade 8 in Carmel and high school located in Pebble Beach.

“We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to live here and go to that school,” said Blackstock, who served as a board trustee for 12 years. “You remember where you came from. And now my daughter lives here with her husband and the triplets. I want my grandchildren to go there.”

Joseph E. Wandke, president of the Stevenson School, said Blackstock has “been a tremendous asset to the school” and has maintained close ties to the school even long after his daughter graduated.

“His support of the school is substantial. He’s made significant financial contributions,” Wandke said. “To have someone of Peter’s reputation and recognition within the community out there representing Stevenson School means a tremendous amount. I can’t put a price tag on that.”

For nearly two decades, Blackstock has also provided the school with a new car for the transportation needs of its senior faculty.

To become an Ambassador, a dealer, company, association or individual makes a tax-deductible contribution of $10,000 to the NADA foundation in their name or in recognition of loved ones, living or deceased. Grants of at least $1,500 are made to organizations of their choice every three years.

For more information about the program or to become an Ambassador, contact the NADA Foundation at (703) 821-7102 or foundation@nada.org.

About the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation

The NADA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Automobile Dealers Association established in 1975, is a non-profit organization that supports a wide variety of charities and causes, including the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence and natural disaster relief for dealership employees. The NADA Foundation also provides grants to colleges and universities, including scholarships to the families of 9/11 victims. 

The NADA Story

The NADA story began in 1917 when 30 auto dealers traveled to the nation’s capital to convince Congress not to impose a luxury tax on the automobile. They successfully argued that the automobile is a necessity of American life, not a luxury. From that experience was born the National Automobile Dealers Association. Today, NADA represents nearly 16,000 new-car and -truck dealerships with 32,500 franchises, both domestic and international. For more information, visit www.nada.org.

Contact:

David Hyatt
Vice President
NADA Public Affairs
(703) 821-7120
dhyatt@nada.org 

Charles Cyrill
Director of Public Relations
NADA Public Affairs
(216) 870-8837 (m)
(703) 821-7121
ccyrill@nada.org