Content provided by our sponsor: Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge.

Over the years, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge has developed deep connections throughout the Capital City, and the dealership’s leaders believe those community ties come with considerable responsibility. That’s why Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge and its employees prioritize giving back to the community to fulfill the longstanding mission of helping as many people as possible to realize their dreams.

From supporting the families of fallen soldiers to rewarding teachers, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge continues to support a wide range of organizations making a lasting positive impact in the community.

“Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge chooses to partner with organizations who are similar to them and take their civic responsibility very seriously,” says General Manager and co-owner Nick Pentas. “By giving back to our community we fulfill our mission of helping those in our community to realize their dreams.”

Spreading Holiday Cheer with Junior League

Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge is a proud supporter of the annual Hollydays fundraiser for the Junior League of Baton Rouge, an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Proceeds from the event — which features four days of shopping, special events, food and entertainment — benefit the Junior League’s community-impact projects. These programs support partnering agencies such as Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, the LSU Agricultural Center, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Big Buddy and the Girls on the Run program.

MBOBR has donated a Mercedes to the long-running “shopping with a cause” event for 24 years, and the Junior League raffles off the vehicle each year to help raise money for its community-impact efforts. This year’s raffle prize was a 2018 Mercedes CLA250 coupe.

“We’re very proud to partner with Junior League because they do so much to help with children, education and other community needs that are important to our organization,” Pentas says. “They’re a high-quality organization that has proven the ability to make a lasting community impact.”

Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund

Another major plank of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge’s community-impact program is support for the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, a national group that honors military service and sacrifice by providing scholarships to veterans and military family members, particularly children of the nation’s fallen and disabled. The organization is named after Army Col. John McHugh, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010.

The local dealership supports the charity through its parent company, Dream Motor Group, which includes dealerships in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee.

“All of our dealerships donate to the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund,” Pentas says.

Helping Teachers Dream

MBOBR also is a strong supporter of Dream Teachers, a Baton Rouge-based organization working to recognize and reward exceptional Louisiana educators and to raise public awareness of the true value of the teaching profession. The organization works with business, industry and private groups throughout the state to recognize and reward educators who model instructional excellence and dedication to serve the needs of children.

The dealership provides the organization’s teacher of the year a Mercedes for a year as they attend events around the state and beyond. Representatives of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge helped found the organization and continue to serve in leadership roles.

MBOBR has also donated to Trafficking Hope, a group working to eradicate sex trafficking around the globe, as well as Dreams Come True, the American Cancer Society’s ball, Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology, Heritage Ranch Children’s Home and numerous other organizations. In addition, the dealership offers paid time off for employees to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

Other initiatives include support for the Baton Rouge Business Report’s annual Forty Under 40 awards, which honor local business and professional leaders who have achieved success and excelled in their field before the age of 40. Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge provides a vehicle for each award winner to drive for a month as part of a social media contest highlighting charitable uses for the vehicles. The dealership also donates to the winner’s favorite charity.

The annual promotion is a small part of a the dealership’s mission to “inspire our employees, our customers and the members of our community in their quest to fulfill their dreams.”

“We make sure our employees know that our culture is a culture of giving,” Pentas says. “It’s always at the top of our mind. We don’t just take care of ourselves and our customers. We take care of our community.”