FREDERICK, Md. (Aug. 17, 2016) — Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction (LFCAA) of Hammond, La., has earned the inaugural 2016 Southern Auction of the Year Award from the National Auto Auction Association. The award honors excellence in community service.
Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction is one of four auctions – one selected from each of NAAA's membership regions – to win the award. Each regional chapter award winner receives $5,000, which will be donated to the charity or charities of its choice.
The NAAA's National Auction of the Year Award will go to one of these four regional award winners. The auction that earns the national honor will receive an additional $10,000 to be donated to the charity or charities of its choice. In addition, NAAA’s On the Block magazine will feature a January 2017 cover story about the auction and its charitable efforts.
The auction will also grace the cover of the 2017 NAAA Member Directory. The National Auction of the Year winner will be announced on November 17 during the NAAA/NRC Convention's Presidential Gala.
NAAA Southern Chapter President Laura Taylor said Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction efforts on behalf of the community service organizations they work with are well-known, and she said it is her pleasure to announce them as the award winner during National Auto Auction Week.
“There were so many auctions in our region that do so much for the communities in which they reside, so it’s truly an honor for Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction to have been selected for this inaugural award,” said Taylor, Charleston Auto Auction general manager. “Everyone from the chapter wishes them well, and are very pleased they will represent the Southern Chapter for the first Southern Auction of the Year Award.”
NAAA President Mike Browning said he is pleased to be president during the creation of this new award. “We want to congratulate Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction and thank those involved at the auction who consistently give unselfishly of their time, effort, and money to so many wonderful community service organizations,” Browning said.
Each year LFCAA holds fundraisers, donates to and supports many worthy organizations. These include Little Angels Foundation; fundraising bake sales in support for free breast cancer screenings; sharing dog food coupons for LFCAA team members; sponsoring another team for a Rotary Club charity race; collecting soda can pop tops to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and donating Christmas gift baskets to Samaritan’s Purse. LFCAA estimates more than $400,000 has been raised for these and many other charities and service organizations in the region over the 14 years that the auction has been in operation.
NAAA Chief Executive Officer Frank Hackett said this award is designed to not only honor the efforts of NAAA members, but to boost awareness of the many worthy causes that auctions around the country support.
“I’m continually pleased to see the efforts our member auctions take to support their local community’s charities and service organizations,” Hackett said. “If we can play a small role in helping them help others, it’s a very good result.”