Community Involvement

TOYS FOR TOTS

Every Christmas season, Toys for Tots spreads hope to less fortunate children through the gift of a brand-new toy. As a donation-based charity, they collect new, unwrapped toys to then distribute to families in need. This year, our employees, customers, and other members of the community came together to donate to this cause. Berger is proud to work with the Toys For Tots Foundation to help bring holiday joy to less fortunate children in our community.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

For over a decade, Chevrolet has supported the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program. Together with Chevrolet dealerships, employees, and customers, over $1.7 million was contributed in 2023 alone! Employees sport pink attire during the month of October to show their support and raise awareness. Find out how you can participate and get involved with our community by starting or joining a team, signing up for walks, and more.

Kids' Food Basket’s goal is to help nourish children in West Michigan to reach their full potential. They help provide access to sack dinner/lunches by engaging the West Michigan community and promoting community-driven farming that is sustainable for generations to come. That’s why Berger has joined in to support their cause! Together we are working toward a healthy, hunger-free West Michigan for all. If you’re interested in donating or volunteering, click here to learn more!

We’ve partnered with FOX17 for the 4th year in a row to uplift our community and help support local non-profits and small businesses by sponsoring them with a platform to share their story. We support our community because we are our community. We’ve been serving West Michigan’s automotive needs since 1925. You’ve trusted us, and we want to give back to you! Each segment is sponsored by Berger Chevrolet and Your West Michigan Chevy Dealers!

With the help of our West Michigan community, New Growth Project cultivates job opportunities on their 20-acre farm for neuro-diverse employees who may otherwise struggle to find fulfilling employment. The quiet and relaxed atmosphere of the farm acts as “agritherapy” and helps these employees thrive. Did you know that 81% of individuals with an intellectual developmental disability are unemployed? New Growth Project is actively working to lower that percentage! We had the opportunity to visit New Growth Project with our friends at FOX 17 Morning Mix to learn more about their mission. To learn more about how you can volunteer or donate, click here.

Kids’ Food Basket now provides 10,000 meals a day to children in need. Each of these meals, or Sack Suppers as they are called, contains one serving of fruit, vegetables, protein, and a healthy snack. In an effort to support its mission, Berger has opted to decorate 1,000 lunch bags to be used for Sack Suppers. Lunch bags have been dispersed around our dealership and to each department's break room for our team to decorate. To learn more or see how you can volunteer click here.

Berger is proud to be an annual sponsor of the GR Fire Department vs. GR Police Department’s rivalry hockey game at Van Andel Arena to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). GRPD came out with the “W”, but fun was had by all. Exactly 1,091 tickets were sold and the West Michigan community helped raise over $20,000 for the cause! To learn more about the Muscular Dystrophy Association and how you can donate or volunteer, click here.

The Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation provides fundraising and advocacy support for the Grand Rapids Public Library because an investment in your local library is an investment in your community. The foundation's mission is to continue the education of the Grand Rapids community, to foster the creativity and curiosity of future generations, and to further the health and advancement of our community. We at Berger are proud to support our local library! Curious about the Foundation? Click here to learn more. 

MILLENNIUM PARK STEWARDSHIP DAY

Millennium Park is often the beautiful backdrop for our commercials, so we love to give back to the park in any way we can. We joined Kent County Parks Department for their Millennium Park Stewardship Day where we helped cut down Willow trees. Willows are an invasive species that take over the park if not regulated, so we rolled up our sleeves and cut down some Willows to make room for new trees! Click here to learn more about how you can volunteer at Kent County Parks.

PAWS WITH A CAUSE

PAWS With A Cause is a non-profit that enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities through custom-trained assistance dogs. PAWS is a leader in the assistance dog industry and they continue to increase awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog Teams through their educational opportunities and advocacy. Learn more about PAWS, volunteering and client programs here. We had the opportunity to partner with Fox17 Morning Mix to tall all things PAWS. Click here to view the segment. 

AMA INTERNATIONAL

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Berger Chevrolet teamed up with Ama International and LIMA to love without borders. “Ama” means love in Spanish and to show our love we participated in collecting money for LIMA’s specially-made candles inspired by Ama International’s mission of loving without borders. 100% of donations went to Ama International to support the educational and medical services they provide in communities in the United States and Mexico. With each candle sold, we helped to light up communities around North America. Click here to learn more.

UNITED WAY GOLF OUTING

Heart of West Michigan United Way’s Tee It Up For Success golf outing helps to “chip away at poverty.” By raising money, they help over 400 people with maintaining their employment and well-being. This year, Berger Chevrolet participated in Tee It Up For Success by sponsoring a hole on the course and sending a rock star team to tee it up! We here at Berger are proud to support a program that helps those in need with their employment, housing, access to food, and mental health. Learn more about United Way here. 

MLK FREEDOM SCHOOLS

MLK Freedom Schools is making an impact on today's youth; through education and lessons of equality and mindfulness, the kids at MLK Freedom Schools are ready to take on the world. The team here at Berger values their mission of growth and wanted to help! We stocked up on snacks and received monetary donations that will go straight towards books for the leaders of tomorrow. Learn more about Freedom School's mission by visiting their website here.

EXCLUSIVE CHEVY DEALER FOR LAKER ATHLETICS

Berger Chevrolet, Inc. is proud to announce our official partnership with Grand Valley State University Athletics! Pictured here, Coach Mann, GVSU's Head Men's Basketball Coach, drove off our lot in his brand new 2022 Chevy Silverado! We are excited to support our GVSU community and provide the coaching staff with Chevrolet vehicles and certified service through our new partnership. To learn more about our partnership click here. Anchor Up!

ONBASE WITH GRPD

The Grand Rapids Police Department and Department of Parks and Recreation teamed up to provide a youth baseball training camp, free of charge to kids aged 9-12. Berger was beyond excited to support local youth in finding their passion in a sport while being supported by community members. The GRPD and Dept. of Parks & Rec. are hoping to create long-lasting mentorships with local youth to facilitate positivity in the West Michigan community. Click here to learn more about how to register for OnBase. 

JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL SPONSOR

Berger Chevrolet, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the Spring GR Juneteenth Festival at John Ball Zoo! By teaming up to be a “Plant Champion Partner" with H.O.P.E. Gardens, we can help provide organizations in our community with 150 organic heirloom plants to share with members in our community. This gives children, families, and community members access to fresh herbs and vegetables. Click here to learn more about H.O.P.E. Gardens and its mission. 

NEW DESTINY PATHWAYS

New Destiny Pathways is a home for women ages 17-21 who are transitioning out of the foster care system. Their mission is "to provide safe, affordable and supportive housing" for these young women, in such a crucial stage of their life. They not only provide housing and support, they also teach key life skills such as budgeting, and cooking, and even offer mentorships. New Destiny Pathways provides the tools for the women they house to succeed in their future. You can learn more about New Destiny Pathways here or watch our segment with Fox17.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB DRIVE FOR SUCCESS

The Drive for Success program, put in place by the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids, launched its inaugural golf outing event to raise money to offer driver’s training, at no cost, to their teen members. We sent a team to hit the links at Scott Lake Country Club to support the mission of the Drive for Success Program as well as be a main sponsor of the event. Each week we also offer employees the chance to contribute portions of their paychecks as a donation to the program. Aside from the driver’s class, students will also receive mentoring, training, help with preparation, and lessons on police procedure and life skills development. Click here to learn more!

BERGER IS YOUR ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR ALL THINGS AUTOMOTIVE

Berger does more than just selling/leasing vehicles – we’re your one stop shop for all things automotive! From service to parts to collision we’ll get you taken care of. Beyond the automotive amenities we offer, we also put on an annual Car Show for the community. This year is our 23rd annual All GM Show and it is free for spectators. Learn more about what Berger offers the West Michigan community in our segment on Fox 17’s Morning Mix series here.

EV EDUCATION FOR LOCAL YOUTH

It all started with a letter on the desk of Brian Isch, a Sales Consultant at Berger Chevrolet. Our new friend Colin, a local 5th grader, had a school project that led him to Berger to learn about electric vehicles! What better place to seek assistance than West Michigan’s premier dealership Berger Chevrolet! After Brian read his letter, he knew he wanted to help; so, Brian invited Colin to Berger to check out some of our EV options and learn all about what goes into the newest technology inside. Click here to learn more and read our blog about Colin.

MILLENNIUM PARK STEWARDSHIP DAY CLEAN UP

Helping the planet is a BIG deal to us. That’s why some of our team members volunteered in a Kent County Stewardship Day Clean Up. With heavy rain on the forecast, the April showers didn’t stop the Berger team and the Kent County Parks team from picking up trash around Millennium Park. Are you interested in volunteering? Click here to learn more about the vast amount of volunteer opportunities Kent County Parks offers that you could be involved in! Watch our latest segment with Fox17 to learn more about how Berger gives back to the community!

PUBLIC THREAD

Located on the Southwest Side of Grand Rapids, Public Thread is a fashion-forward retail store that uses upcycled materials to create merchandise such as bags and backpacks. Since 2016, this Michigan-based company has worked to “design unique products that serve people, the planet and support living wage jobs.” The textiles used by Public Thread would otherwise end up in the landfill. We partnered with Fox17 to get the word out about Public Thread's mission. Click here to watch the segment, to learn more about Public Thread, click here!

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT SPONSORSHIP

If you know Berger then you know how important community is to us. This year, we decided to sponsor the City of Walker's National Night Out put on by the Walker City Police Department and Feyen Zylstra. The event focuses on community camaraderie and keeping our communities safe, so you know we were more than happy to be involved! From bounce houses to craft stations and snow cones, there is no shortage of fun to be had! Click here to learn more about National Night Out!

HOPSCOTCH

Hopscotch has made Grand Rapids its home for the past 15 years, and in 2017, Mark and Emily took over to create a unique, locally crafted toy store. They specialize in organic, locally-made, and sustainable educational toys and products. Hopscotch offers to shipping nationwide and is a go-to Christmas shopping location. Shop their website or storefront on Cherry St., Grand Rapids. Watch their segment on Fox17 Morning Mix here!

BRODY'S BE CAFE

Brody's Be employs special needs adults to give an opportunity to those who struggle to find it. They are built upon the foundation of inclusivity, kindness, and opportunity. When you choose to get your morning coffee from Brody's Be, you can leave confident that you're a part of a movement - and helping a great cause. Click here to learn about Brody's Be Cafe. You can also watch their segment on Fox 17 Morning Mix here!

WOMEN AT RISK (WAR)

Women at Risk (WAR) is a charitable organization created to protect those at risk of abuse, trafficking, exploitation, and more. Berger is proud to spread awareness to this important cause. At their physical location in Wyoming, Michigan, they sell handcrafted items made by at-risk and rescued men and women from around the world. Watch their segment on Fox17 Morning Mix here or click to learn more.

MAGGIE'S BE CAFE

At Maggie's Be Cafe in Hudsonville, it's not just about the coffee. Maggie's Be Cafe is a nonprofit that employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by creating an uplifting and positive workplace. "We curate a workplace environment that bridges the gap between individuals with disabilities and those without, because we are more alike than we are different." - What an amazing mission! You can watch their segment on Fox17 Morning Mix here or click to learn more about Maggie's Be Cafe

THE 3RD CHAIR

3rd Chair is a collective bunch of 17 counselors who specialize in counseling young adults. They have devoted their lives to helping those who might not have the support they need. This is their mission and they embrace it. 3rdchair is here because a supportive community for young adults needed to exist. They believe that the young adults of Grand Rapids are worth it. To learn more, click here or watch their segment on Fox17 Morning Mix here!

SOUTH EAST MARKET

The South East Market's mission is to increase access to healthy, affordable, and culturally-accepted food for our community through a sustainable and equitable lens. Owners Alita and Khara work to bring a more accessible healthy food experience to our Grand Rapids neighborhoods! To learn more, click here or watch the South East Market segment on FOX17 here!

BERGER IS A GREEN DEALER

Here at Berger, we are proud to have been awarded Green Dealer 5 years in a row! What does it mean to be a Green Dealer you ask? Keep reading and we'll tell you! This award is given to only 250 dealerships out of 700 General Motors Dealerships nationwide and Berger has been one of them since 2017! To learn more about what being a Green Dealer means to us, check out our blog!