Did you know that from 1936 to 2007 (for over 70 years), the Ford Foundation was the largest charitable organization in the U.S.? Now it’s second behind the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I didn’t know this until I met Rich Burd of Burd Ford.

Burd has recently received a recognition award titled, “Salute to Dealers” from the Ford Motor Company. Basically, he is being positively reinforced for his compassion and dedication to the worthy causes he supports, which make a significant difference in the lives of people in need.

He is one of just 65 nominees from more than 6,000 dealership franchises nationally to receive the award. A panel of judges will select the nine honorees based on the dealer’s activities, length of participation and personal motivation.

“I don’t think I’ll make the final cut,” says Burd, humbly. “I honestly never thought I’d be nominated.”

But his wife, Chris Burd, chimed in about her husband’s daily philanthropic deeds. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that he’s a grassroots guy,” says Chris. “Rich is actively making a hands-on difference in many individual lives and families. He’s not just sitting on the board for some large, elite foundation.”

Here is just a sampling of the innumerable ways in which Rich Burd has given to the community:

1. He has donated furniture to the Hudson School, which works with kids who have special needs and/or learning disabilities.
2. For the last four years, he has sponsored the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” which is held at Lawrence Central High School.
3. He helped sponsor a tractor trailer for the Lawrence Central High School Band. They began using the vehicle for competitions in 2004 and still use it today. The trailer was especially helpful when the band went to Pasadena, Calif., for the Rose Bowl in 2005.
4. He donated $10,000 to the Lawrence Township School Foundation for its tutoring program, MAC (My Achievement Center).
5. He started a fundraising website for Darrell Arthur, the man who was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the Monon Trail while riding his bike. Burd set up the website so he could match any donation, but he didn’t stop there. Because Darrell was so worried about not having a bike, Rich presented him with a new one and a $1000 check during half-time of a Lawrence Central basketball game.
6. He started the Burd Ford Youth Program to help all kids in our community. For any sales/service at Burd Ford, the dealership gives 3% back to any group of your choice: churches, youth groups, schools, sports teams or charitable organizations. If you are interested, go to MyBurdFord.com to register your group.
7. He coaches youth football and year-round basketball teams. “This is like another real, full-time job,” Chris says. “Nobody sees the hours at night on the computer that he puts into everything from making up schedules to scouting.”

I could keep on going down the list. But you get the idea. I believe we can safely announce that Rich Burd represents a worthy nominee for the “Salute to Dealers.” Even if he doesn’t make the final cut, anyone who meets him or hears about his generosity to our community would surely agree that he is already a genuine winner in our scorebook.

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