Cruising for a cause
Each December, USU buses are filled with donations to help needy Cache Valley families as part of the Stuff a Bus program. This year, those buses have some much sleeker, more expensive and faster company with the introduction of 15 to 20 nearby sports cars, ranging in price from $50,000 to $250,000. The cars, including an Aston Martin Vanquish, Porsche 911 Twin Turbo and a Maserati, have been brought to campus to help generate interest in the Stuff a Bus program, which benefits the Cache Valley Sub for Santa program. For a donation of $1, students can be entered into a raffle to win a ride in the car of their choice. For a $10 donation, a ride is guaranteed. All proceeds go to Sub for Santa.
All the cars are owned by employees of Atlas Marketing, a Provo-based summer sales company that employs more than 100 USU students.
“The more people who can donate to Sub for Santa, the better,” said Jon Copple, a regional manager of Atlas Marketing. “We were planning on helping Sub for Santa, and when we heard that USU was doing the Stuff a Bus program and we realized that we could use the cars as tools to help out needy kids.”
The cars spent Monday and Tuesday mornings on the TSC plaza alongside two Aggie Shuttles, with representatives from the USU Service Center and Atlas employees nearby seeking donations from passing students and faculty. In the afternoons, the cars were taken to the parking lot of Romney Stadium, where those who donated could go to get their rides around town, said Atlas employee Lindsey Jacobs. She said the cars will be on campus and students will have the opportunity to get rides every day until Thursday.
Leah Taylor, USU service vice president, said the cars would be giving rides and buses would be taking donations outside the student entrance to the Spectrum Wednesday night as part of a pre-game party before the USU basketball team takes on the University of Utah. Students who donate at the game will also get free game day T-shirts.
“It’s a great cause, and I really encourage everyone to donate. Think about how excited you got for Christmas as a kid, and think how sad it would be for kids who couldn’t have that,” Taylor said. “This is a way we can help people in our valley and give back.”
Most of those who had gotten rides had chosen the $250,000 Aston Martin because it is the most rare and exotic of the cars, said Luke Toone, an Atlas employee.
“I figured I was going to donate anyway, and it was an extra perk to get a ride. It’s a good cause,” said Tyson Bybee, a junior majoring in graphic design, who rode in the Aston Martin and a BMW 6 Series.
About 15 people received rides Monday afternoon, and about the same number did Tuesday, Toone said. Most of those who have gone on rides have been men, though several couples have also participated, he said.
On Monday, two of the cars were pulled over for speeding and issued tickets, said Mark Toone, a freshman majoring in business, who was driving students in the Aston Martin Tuesday.
The idea of the event is not to show off or brag, Copple said. Instead, the cars’ owners hope to use their vehicles as tools to help those in need.
“It’s gratifying to know you’re helping a good cause,” said Atlas employee Justin Kohler.
-dfelix@cc.usu.edu