The East Texas Crisis Center decided to raffle a car back in 1999. For the first few years, the center purchased cars to raffle and only started making money for the center through ticket sales after the purchase cost was covered.
After a few years of fairly successful raffles, Tyler Ford’s Managing Partner David Irwin, who had been involved with the Auto & Cycle Show, one day proposed to the Executive Director, “What if I donate a car so you guys can make more money?” It was a shocking but well-received offer, to say the least!
Since the first year, we’ve seen a seven-hundred percent increase in annual raffle ticket revenue. Every year, the car Tyler Ford has donated has been better and better. This year they donated the most rare and valuable car we’ve ever had – a 2007 Shelby GT-Hertz Convertible Mustang. It is autographed by Carroll Shelby and is one of only 500 produced.
David has said that he feels victims of domestic violence are the “underdogs” – society tends to think of this crime as a “family problem” and people don’t want get involved or don’t want to believe it. He feels a special need to help women and children who are escaping abuse, and is committed to them by providing help by means of the industry he know best – cars!
In 2007, the Children’s Wing of the East Texas Crisis Center was dedicated to Tyler Ford with a wall reading, “Tyler Ford…accelerating children along the road to success”. We couldn’t be more honored to acknowledge Tyler Ford in the wing of our safe shelter where hundreds of bright, beautiful children pass every year as we guide them from a life of violence and fear into one with the healthy, happy, peaceful futures they deserve. On behalf of the over 1,800 victims of violent crime we help each year, the East Texas Crisis Center thanks David Irwin and Tyler Ford from the bottom of our hearts.
