Bachrodt Automotive Group Employees Honor Employer with Birthday Gift to FFTP
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 16, 2022) A birthday tribute to a beloved employer will provide homes for impoverished families in Haiti, thanks to the generosity of employees of Lou Bachrodt Automotive Group, who made a $30,000 donation to Food For The Poor on Wednesday.
The employees made the contribution in honor of Lou Bachrodt, who celebrated his 80th birthday on May 30.
“This was very special to me,” Bachrodt said. “It makes me proud of them. I try to teach people that work for me that we have to give back – we can’t just show up – and they did it here in quite a big way. They reached in their pockets (to give), and things aren’t that easy right now.”
Bachrodt and his sons, Craig, Executive Manager of Lou Bachrodt in Coconut Creek, and Bill, Executive Manager of Lou Bachrodt in Pompano Beach, presented the employees’ donation to FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine at the charity’s Coconut Creek headquarters. Raine was joined by Mark Khouri, Executive Vice President/COO, Michael Chin Quee, Executive Vice President/Church Alliances, and Samuel Crawford, Major Giving Advisor.
The employees’ gift arrived on the heels of a $50,000 birthday tribute made by Bachrodt’s son, Sean. The combined gifts will fund the construction of eight homes in Haiti.
Sean Bachrodt, who was unable to attend the presentation, shared his thoughts about his father’s support of FFTP. The owner of a freight shipping company, he recalled a moment from years ago when his father shared details about a gift he made to FFTP to build homes in Haiti.
“I could tell that donating to others in need made my father more proud than just about every other achievement in his life,” Sean Bachrodt said. “That moment made a big impact on me and caused me to look at my own efforts in terms of how they can improve others’ lives.”
Lou Bachrodt also praised his son.
“You know, if I can teach my kids one thing, it’s how to give,” he said. “And obviously, he learned. It’s nice to see him share his good fortune.”
Raine appreciated the depth of Lou Bachrodt’s charitable giving and his effort to inspire his children and employees to help others in desperate need.
“It says a lot about someone when their children and their employees give so generously in celebration of their birthday,” Raine said. “We join Sean and all the employees at Lou Bachrodt Automotive Group in wishing Lou a happy birthday, and we are so grateful that they chose to honor him with a gift to Food For The Poor.”
The gifts bring welcomed support to Haiti. The beleaguered nation continues to wrestle with unrest and uncertainty almost a year after the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, as well as the lingering devastation of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace in August 2021.
A supporter of FFTP for the past 30 years, Lou Bachrodt has a diverse history of giving to the charity. His donations have funded the construction of homes in Haiti and Honduras, water projects in Haiti, and emergency relief efforts in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian struck in September 2019.
“It’s just pure human dignity for people to have a place to go to bed, to have a bed, to have a kitchen and to have water,” he said. “We just need to provide that dignity.”
Bachrodt is also a supporter of Boca Grande Hope For Haitians, an annual event established by longstanding FFTP donors Ben and Louise Scott. Proceeds from the fundraiser have gone toward building hundreds of secure homes with sanitation, providing access to clean water and constructing community centers and schools. “The projects Lou has supported over the years have had a significant impact on the lives of thousands of people living in poverty, with little hope of securing a better life,” Khouri said. “The fact that he has inspired so many people to join him in this effort is incredible – he truly leads by example.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
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