The Grease Monkey® center in Terre Haute, IN has been supporting the Noon Optimist Club’s Clothe-A-Child program for more than 10 years. The center has a donation jar in the lobby welcome center. On average, the donation jar collects $1,800 to $2,000 in donations a year. Customers are provided refreshments in the welcome center as they wait while their car is being serviced.
The funds raised in the donation jar are then donated to the Noon Optimist Club’s Clothe-A-Child program to help provide winter clothes for children in the Vigo county public school system, grades K – 6.
Last year, the program provided shirts, pants, socks, underclothes, hoodies, and jackets to more than 750 children in the county. December 12 was set up as a day of fun for the children, with a bag of clothes and goodies for each child, and even a visit from Santa.
When this fundraising project started, this Grease Monkey center was owned by franchisee Joe Misterka, who is the treasurer for the Noon Optimist Club. When Misterka retired last year, Grease Monkey International Inc. took over ownership and operation of the center, and has continued to support this annual fundraiser.