A community is more than just a diverse group of people. It’s families and it’s also strangers who trust each other to do right by each other... an ecosystem of justice and an economic system of interdependence and reliance.
We can’t claim to know everyone around us, but the more we know each other, the more we strengthen the bonds of community. By promoting organizations that add good things to our community, we create a better society for Richmond, Short Pump, The West End, and The Fan District.
Supporting each other is supporting ourselves. That’s why Bimmer Rescue has a community outreach program: we want to feed back into our community and help it grow, knowing that we will grow with it, and be enriched by it with better lives and a happier standard of living.
Here are some of the community outreach programs that Bimmer Rescue takes part in:
Richmond Arts Scene
Did you know that we host a family-friendly art opening at Bimmer Rescue’s shop? It’s true! Each quarter, we become a gallery, complete with a food truck. Local artists can bring their work, and we invite the community to come and see the art displayed, and purchase pieces directly from the artists themselves (everything’s for sale). More than just being a great way to highlight the local talent, it’s also been a great social gathering for people interested in the arts to meet and make new friends, as well as a good networking system for artists themselves to meet and to support each other’s work.
Brakes for Breasts
If you’ve never heard of Brakes for Breasts, it’s a brilliant program to highlight two important topics: proper brake care in your car, and finding a cure for breast cancer.
It works like this: in the month of November, brake pads are FREE. You pay just for labor and other parts as your car needs them (such as sensors, rotors, drums, etc.) 10% of your fees are donated to Brakes for Breasts to help find a cure. Just last November, we were one of 131 shops that helped raise $125,873.37 in funding to find a cure for breast cancer!
Boy Scouts of America / Girls Scouts of America
There was a time when most young men in the Richmond area knew about cars and how to take care of them. But the changes in available entry-level jobs, technology and income have created an environment less likely to instruct kids on cars. And women only make up 20.9% of all employees at auto dealers in 2016.
At Bimmer Rescue, we sponsor both boys and girls who want to know the basics of car care, or to perhaps become qualified mechanics themselves someday! We host the Boy Scouts of America’s Automotive Merit Badge and a merit equivalent training for Girl Scouts wishing to learn automotive repair! Each session we run trains 15-20 Scouts on how engines work, changing a tire, how to change an oil filter, and other basics of car maintenance.
National Society of Black Engineers
Just as women are a minority in the automotive industry, so are black men and women. The National Society of Black Engineers works to remind young black kids with an affinity for cars that there are multiple careers in the industry for interested, intelligent kids: Engineers, Engine developers, Computer/Software programmers, IT specialist, even Marketing specialists.
Bimmer Rescue puts on NSBE Youth Chapter STEM clinics, where black boys and girls can explore the many great career options waiting for them in the automotive industry, jobs that need their fresh perspectives and inputs!
We hope you’ll join us at Bimmer Rescue in supporting and strengthening our community by joining our outreach and contributing your extra time and extra resources to these and other organizations. Please take a look at our community outreach page for more information on our local impact. If you would like to join one of our events, call the store at (804) 726-3458 for times and dates. If you would like to join us for this year’s Brakes for Breasts, you can click on this link to pre-schedule your visit. Bimmer Rescue services Richmond, Short Pump, The West End, and The Fan District, at 6401F Dickens Place, Richmond, VA 23230.
Make An Appointment