The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Liberty Ford drives in for Lorain City Schools
Fundraiser paid $20 a car
Long known as part of Ford country, Lorain became the land of Lincoln with a test-driving fundraiser Dec. 11 at Lorain High School.
Liberty Ford transported at least eight models for the “Driven to Give” test drive event at the school, 2600 Ashland Ave.
Anyone age 21 or older with a valid driver’s license could take a Lincoln for a spin around Lorain High.
For each drive, Lincoln would donate up to $20 per drive to Lorain City Schools, up to a total of $8,000.
The event was coordinated by Rick Amador, finance manager for Liberty Ford of Vermilion.
A Marine Corps veteran, Amador grew up on West 22nd Street in Lorain and is an alumnus of the former Admiral King High School.
Amador works on high school football Friday night broadcasts through Lorain Schools’ TV20 channel. His daughter, Maleigha, is a senior at Lorain High.
“I have a huge passion for the city, and I have a huge passion for high school sports,” Amador said.
When Amador learned about the fundraiser through Lincoln, in the fall, he approached one of his former football coaches, Jeff Hawks, who now is school district chief operations officer about hosting the event.
“He said, absolutely,” Amador said.
And Dec. 11 was selected because it was a half-day for students, but teachers and staff were at the school for professional development, he said.
The event started at 11 a.m.
By 1:30 p.m., at least 50
people went for rides and filled out surveys about their impressions.
Making sales was not the goal, Amador said.
“The whole goal of this is just to bring awareness of the brand and that Liberty Ford is Lorain County’s only Lincoln dealership and get that word out,” he said. The dealership has scored multiple President’s Awards for Ford and Lincoln standards of sales and service.
There is a chance Lorain students could land jobs with Liberty Ford.
The car dealer staff were joined by Erik Kunze, field service engineer for Ford Motor Co., and Kathleen McCarthy, program manager for automotive technology through Cuyahoga Community College.
Along with nuts and bolts, contemporary car repair involves electronics, computer programming and networking that require knowledgeable technicians, Kunze said.
Tri-C is working with Liberty Ford on a training program that leads to two-year degrees, largely debt free, with jobs waiting for graduates, McCarthy said.
Lorain graduates have found success going through a similar General Motors curriculum at the college, she said.
“It’s a big deal,” McCarthy said.
Popular models
As for the wheels on the lot, it appeared the two most popular models were the new Lincoln Navigator and an old Lincoln Continental, based on comments of drivers and spectators.
Those vehicles were brought to display because the Navigator already was sold and the Continental was a classic black 1961 Presidential Edition.
But drivers took turns behind the steering wheels of
new MKC crossover utility vehicles, an MKZ sedan, a new Continental sedan and the Nautilus, a new luxury sport-utility that will replace Lincoln’s MKX.
Amanda Haney, Titan College liaison, took the wheel of a silver MKC with Amador along for the ride.
“It was very cool,” Haney said. “I like it. They’re all nice, they’re all very nice. They ride really smooth.”
Brian Turizziani, Lorain High head custodian, got into the driver’s seat of the Nautilus.
“We had a couple Town Cars,” Turizziani. “We drove the wheels off of them.”
“You can do that with this one, too,” said salesman Daniel “Dan-O” Ortiz, a Lorain native and Admiral King alumnus.
In the new Continental, salesman Derek Gainey explained the car has seats that are heated, cooled and offer massages.
“Not only is it luxury as you can see, don’t get it twisted,” Gainey said. “This has over 400 horsepower here. It’ll smoke a Mustang, too.”
“I like it,” Turizziani said. “If you’re going to do a lot of highway driving, this is the way to go.”
“Not only is it luxury as you can see, don’t get it twisted. This has over 400 horsepower here. It’ll smoke a Mustang, too.”
— Liberty Ford salesman Derek Gainey