Every three minutes, a person in the U.S. is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers that often require patients to endure complex treatments that leave them feeling weak, cold, and isolated. On June 22nd, the Continental Subaru Family delivered warm blankets and encouraging messages of hope to support those fighting cancer at Anchorage’s Providence Cancer Center. It is called the Subaru Love Promise®. Since 2016, Subaru of America and Continental Subaru have donated blankets to Alaskans at Providence Cancer Center, and nationwide, Subaru has donated 167,000 blankets and has reached nearly 150,000 patients in more than 780 hospitals, including Continental Subaru in Anchorage, Alaska.
Alaskan winters are cold and dark – so when spring time comes and the sun returns, we can all see what seven months of trash that had accumulated over the winter. On May 17th, Continental Auto Group staff pitched in to spruce up Campbell Creek Trail in our neighborhood. Over 30 bags of trash were collected—broken car parts, homeless camp waste, needles, trash, and more were appropriately disposed of. Our employees love to be great neighbors and participate in efforts near our showrooms, and all across Anchorage. “We love Clean Up Day! It’s great to be outside in the sunshine, get a little exercise – plus, the Mooses’ Tooth Pizza party afterwards was AMAZING!,” said Rich Swenson, Continental’s Fixed Ops Director. Continental Subaru LOVES being good neighbors!
Since 2007, Newborns in Need has served the youngest and most vulnerable babies in Alaska. Our Alaska Chapter was founded by those who wanted to put their sewing knitting/crochet and other craft skills to use for the good of others. We are a volunteer based (no paid staff) chapter caring for low-income families in our community. Over the years we have gathered volunteers who enjoy making and collecting items that we use to fill Baby Essentials Bags: quilts, blankets, bibs, diapers, wet wipes, clothing, etc. In addition to the baby bags, we also support hospital NICU and bereavement programs. We have partnered with the TEARS Chapter of Anchorage (a program focused on child loss) with our bereavement items. We expanded our reach slowly, working up to providing about 144 bags per year. However, it was becoming difficult to continue at this pace. Funding had always been a challenge for us, and our volunteers were using their own funds to ensure that there were enough available supplies for the supported communities. There were several times we were not sure we would have enough resources to continue our mission. Fast forward to 2017. A Continental Subaru representative reached out and told us that they had chosen our own Newborns In Need as recipients of the annual Subaru Share the Love® hometown charity! We were excited, thinking we’d receive a few thousand dollars to help keep us afloat for a few more years. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d receive over $34,000. Because of these funds, we were able to donate 448 baby essential bags in 2022 and expand our reach beyond Anchorage. We now serve communities from the Kenai Peninsula to Glennallen. As the only chapter of Newborns in Need in Alaska, our goal is to continue to grow our reach throughout Alaska – starting with those communities on the road system. Thank you, Continental Subaru and Subaru of America, for not only giving us the boost we needed in 2017, but the resources to grow our program. We are still all volunteers, and we continue to make a difference in the community of Alaska – one baby at a time.
Stone Soup Group was chosen as Anchorage’s hometown charity for the Subaru Share the Love Event in 2020. We gratefully received a donation to support families who care for loved ones with developmental disabilities! Stone Soup Group exists to sustain the health and well-being of Alaskan children with special needs and their families. Through listening to their stories, we identify areas of need and work with communities to find solutions. We are a statewide nonprofit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska. We were created in 1992 by parents of children with disabilities. We offer information, support, training and resources to empower families and strengthen a family's community support system. Our name is a nod to the children’s fable, in which, after being convinced by a hungry stranger that they can make soup with just a stone, a village of people each decide to contribute their own meats and vegetables until there is enough balanced, nutritious soup to feed everyone. This spirit of collaboration and input of varied experience and knowledge is the philosophy behind the work we do at SSG. The supports and trainings that we provide to families are offered at no cost. It is only with generous donations like the one from Subaru of America, Inc and Continental Subaru that we can readily offer assistance and resources to families who are caring for children with disabilities. The timing of this donation, April 2020, allowed us to have the necessary funding to transition to virtual services in what was an unpredictable and unprecedented time. We are so grateful to have been chosen by Subaru and all of the local residents who purchased new vehicles! Thank you for supporting Stone Soup Group so that we can continue to support Alaskan families!
