“It’s free of charge, you don’t have to be a customer, you don’t have to know who we are,” he said of the giveaway, which also included free donuts for the kids. “It’s just a way to give back to a community that’s been so great for us for so many years.”
Sellers, who recently expanded and improved the Auto Express campus at the corner of Bobmeyer Road and Dixie Highway, said he believes it’s his company’s duty to give back to the community.
“It’s the least we can do,” he said of the backpack giveaway. “It’s a great environment for our staff and families to be involved in, and it’s one of the most fun days we have around here.”
It takes about six months to prepare for the giveaway, where they order good-quality bag from a Texas vendor and then use multiple vendors locally to help prepare for the day.
Credit: TVHamilton
Credit: TVHamilton
This year they had 900 to hand out but had 200 left by late Friday afternoon. They’ll reopen today, and if there are any left, parents just need to stop by the shop. The goal is to grow the program every year, and he envisions a year of giving possibly 2,000 backpacks away one year.
He told the Journal-News in May, “I love giving back. That’s the first thing I do with every paycheck that I get. I teach my children that, I take a lot of pride in it.”
The program is special to Sellers as he previously said he grew up on the lower end of the financial spectrum, but his mom always found a way to provide. Today, he feels obliged to have this program, which his staff has fully embraced.
“If we could lighten that load for a parent of one, two, or multiple children...awesome,” he said.
While it’s not why he does what he does, Sellers’ charitable work earned him the 2023 Ohio Quality Dealer of the Year from the Ohio Independent Automobile Dealers Association.
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