NADA Foundation to Support Wounded Veterans at Convention

MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation is helping raise awareness of a special canine companions program that provides wounded military veterans with trained assistance dogs.

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NADA Foundation Chairman Bob Mallon will present the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) with a $10,000 donation at the NADA Convention and Expo in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 4.

"This is part of our long-term commitment to Canine Companions," Mallon said.

Bren Denney, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his service dog Stefano more than two years ago, along with Bob Bunger, CCI's national director of development services, will receive the donation. The funds help pay the training costs of a service dog that will be placed with a veteran later this year.

"There's so much more to the relationship between the dogs and the impaired," said Denney, who was injured in April 2008 while on duty in Singapore. "I did not realize it right away, but the emotional joy these animals provide far outweigh any physical task they could ever do."

Since 2002, the NADA Foundation's Frank E. McCarthy Memorial Fund has contributed $140,000 to Canine Companions, placing 14 companion dogs with physically disabled children and military veterans. McCarthy served as NADA president for more than 30 years.

"Stefano carries my books for me. He seems to like it. He meets me at the front door every morning," added Denney, a resident of Alpine, Calif., who is currently attending college. "They are the sweetest, most loving companions a person could wish for and they always create a smile."

The NADA convention runs Feb. 3 to 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information about the convention, visit www.nadaconventionandexpo.org.

Editor's note: Mallon will present CCI with a $10,000 donation at the NADA Foundation exhibit (Booth No. 2052) at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4.

About the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation

The NADA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of NADA established in 1975, is a non-profit organization that supports a wide variety of charities and causes, including the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence and natural disaster relief for dealership employees. The NADA Foundation also provides grants to colleges and universities, including scholarships to the families of 9/11 victims.

The NADA Story

The NADA story began in 1917 when 30 auto dealers traveled to the nation's capital to convince Congress not to impose a luxury tax on the automobile. They successfully argued that the automobile is a necessity of American life, not a luxury. From that experience was born the National Automobile Dealers Association. Today, NADA represents nearly 16,000 new-car and -truck dealerships with 32,500 franchises, both domestic and international. For more information, visit www.nada.org.

SOURCE National Automobile Dealers Association

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