Dealer Gives Car To Teen Battling Autoimmune Disease

A dealership in Illinois recently reached out and offered a helping hand to a young woman who is fighting an incredibly difficult challenge.

An FCA dealership out of Belleville, Illinois gave away a vehicle to Carly Risinger, 17, a young woman battling an autoimmune disorder. The store, Oliver C. Joseph gave Risinger a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix in order to help her get to her medical appointments herself, taking some of the stress off her mother. Risinger’s Mom is 37-year-old Angela Ditch. When Risinger received the unexpected prize, she cried.

Ditch had worked very hard to help her daughter and the gift from the dealership seemed to come at just the right time. Ditch told the Lexington Hearld Leger, “I work two jobs. I go to work in the morning and on dialysis days I have to wake Carly up and take her with me. I leave work and I drop her off at dialysis, I leave work again and pick her up at dialysis. Then I go home, change, and leave for my second job.”

The vehicle gift came about because of Risinger’s friend Mike Patterson. Patterson is an employee at Oliver C. Joseph and took note of the challenging situation. On November 10, Patterson invited Risinger and her mom to the store without telling them why. This was clearly an example of a ‘dealer doing good’ in their community.

An employee of the dealership went above and beyond to help a friend in a difficult situation. What other examples of outstanding kindness and charity have you seen in retail automotive?