Sweeney Donates $16,650 to Project MKC

BOARDMAN, Ohio — At an event at the Sweeney Buick GMC dealership Wednesday morning, Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC presented a check for $16,650 to Project MKC.

The donation is part of Sweeney’s Operation Santa campaign, which has been held every December since 2013. During the campaign, the dealership donates $50 for each new vehicle sold at its dealerships to an area nonprofit organization.

“We’ve been doing our Operation Santa campaign since 2013, and have donated nearly $200,000 to area nonprofit organizations,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, Sweeney president. “We couldn’t do it without the generosity and loyal support of the customers we serve here in the Mahoning Valley.”

Sweeney Blackann was joined by Project MKC program director Colleen Gamble and co-presidents Shelly Marlowe and Jana Coffin. Formerly known as Making Kids County, Project MKC works with Mahoning Valley children and their families who need a helping hand.

The nonprofit’s diaper bank project, for example, distributes more than 55,000 diapers per month to local partner agencies.

“Donations like this from area businesses and the community really mean the world to us,” Coffin said. “We usually have two big fundraisers per year and couldn’t do them this year because of the pandemic, so every donation is important. We’ve earmarked these funds for our diaper bank, which has doubled and sometimes tripled in monthly distributions during the pandemic. A donation like this from Sweeney will sustain the program for months to come.”

Pictured: On hand for the check presentation were Alexa Sweeney Blackann, president of Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC; Colleen Gamble, Project MKC program director; Shelly Marlowe and Jana Coffin, Project MKC co-presidents; Bobby Stackhouse, Sweeney Chevrolet executive manager; Derek Snyder, Sweeney Buick GMC executive manager.

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