
It’s not every day that Ford of Canada can add “furry friends” to their list of customers served, but thanks to a devoted team of Ford of Canada employees, The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides (LFCDG) is back in full operation with two new Ford Transit vans!
Dog Guides in Need
The LFCDG is a national not-for-profit foundation, located in Oakville and Breslau, Ontario, that is dedicated to providing Dog Guides at no cost to Canadians with a wide range of disabilities. Last year, the Foundation found themselves in desperate need of a new vehicle fleet after their own were beyond the point of repair. Transporting their dogs and clients between locations, they required reliable and wheelchair accessible vehicle transportation. Available in multiple configurations to meet business needs, the Ford Transit was the perfect fit for Dog Guides, offering sliding doors with easy access to cargo space and capacity for racks, bins, and supplies.
Ford of Canada Rallies Together
When Dana Goodfellow, Ford PRO marketing manager, got the call from a friend sharing the Foundation’s need for new vehicles, she jumped into action. Knowing that Transits are in high demand (for example, sales were up in Canada 50.9% year-to-date as of the end of May), it took collaboration between a few different teams across Ford of Canada to set the ball in motion.
“It took a village to secure these two Ford Transit vans, but the team got it done,” said Goodfellow. “This is the perfect example of a team that lives and breathes the Ford+ plan and Ford OS Behaviours. Their always-on approach to relationship building is what allowed us to facilitate and support such a wonderful cause and I’m proud of the team for their work to help the Foundation.”
Working alongside Goodfellow, Andrew Smith, national service operations for Ford of Canada, was a key driver for the success of this initiative. As a dedicated foster parent for the LFCDG, it pained him to see the beat up vans the Foundation was using. When some roadblocks were reached, Andrew took it upon himself to connect with David Nourse at Kennedy Dealership and Bev Goodman, president and CEO of Ford of Canada, who involved Sales and Ford Pro members, Dean Geddes and Greg Watkins. It was a true team effort that enabled them to successfully secure the in-demand Transit vehicles for the LFCDG and the betterment of the community.