2017 Event Recap - It's been a busy year so far

The Bruce Titus Automotive Group is committed to the communities where we work and live. With that in mind, all of our locations spend a lot of time volunteering in the community and supporting local events. Here are just a few of the things we have been involved with so far this year.

After the craziness of the holiday season, the entire staff looks forward to January. All things go back to business as usual, kids go back to school, life and business resume. However, some of us, we look forward to it because January is SNOW JAM month! Snow Jam is an annual fundraising event hosted by the County Line Offroaders.

Snow Jam is a family friendly off road poker run in the Hills of Elbe, and the clubs primary fundraiser for the year. The CLO (and most off road groups) support local charities and outdoor recreation advocacy.

While the title of the event is "Snow" Jam, in true Washington fashion, there isn't always snow, and event will often get a nickname for the year. 2015 was Ice Jam, 2014 Was Rain Jam, but regardless of the weather, a good time is generally had by all. If you are an off roader, or want to be, we recommend you visit the Pacific NW 4 Wheel Drive Association at pnw4wda.org for more information on how you can get involved. Their site has listings of upcoming club events in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. It also includes contact information for various clubs in your area, who is accepting new members, what they are about, and their mission. The PNW4WDA exists to support conservation, and continued use of public lands for recreation, membership is encouraged.

Snow Jam 2016

Now that the year is kicked off with some good ol' fashion outdoor fun, the season of auctions and indoor benefits was in full swing.

Events such as the Annie Wright Crab Feed on February 4, Whiskers Wine and Dine and St. Pats REACH Auction, both on March 11. We did get to head out doors again in March for the annual White Pass Winter Carnival.

If you haven't had the opportunity to attend this annual event (always the first weekend in March), you should set your calendar now and plan on it for next year. Whether you like to ski or not, there is plenty to do for the whole family at this event. You can sled down the snow castle, play on ice sculptures, make snow angels, eat great food or just throw snowballs. Quite simply there is something for everyone!

Every year the Tacoma Subaru team has an amazing free gift for all!

One of our favorite events was March 28 when we had the honor of heading out Key Center to present the Red Barn Youth Center with a $25,000 check from the winter Subaru of America Share the Love Event.

The Red Barn Youth Center was a clear choice when it came time to select our Home Town Charity for 2017. This incredible group of people offer a teen centric environment in an area of limited resources. The RBYC is a place for teens to connect. Their mission is to be a safe, welcoming place for Key Peninsula teens to recreate, socialize, find guidance, develop positive relationships and become community minded citizens. We got to witness first hand their impact on these teens.
Bruce Titus and his daughter Courtney Titus were on hand to personally deliver the big check. The event was scheduled at a time when all of the kids would be there, because we wanted them to know that they mattered, and that this was done for them. The smiles and appreciation were more than thanks enough. So with a stack of pizzas in hand, and big check, the presentation went well, and Bruce was able to meet with some of the educators, volunteers, and civic leaders to discuss the progress and success of the RBYC. A very special thank you to Clint Rossen, the Executive Director for all of his hard work, and dedication to this program.

Bruce Titus personally presented the #sharethelove2016 check

As the winter came to a close, and spring was sprung upon us (if only by the calendar...the weather was something altogether different), the auction/benefit season soldiered on with events for Coastal Conversation Association (CCA) on April 1, Cougs First Trade Show on April 6, Tacoma Rotary Auction on April 8, ARK Auction on May 6 and the Applause Auction on May 20.

Cougs First Trade show 2017

That may seem like a lot going on, but that was just the tip of the ice burg.

BTAG finally kicked off their monthly New Owner's clinic this year, and we are so excited to invite our new/recent owners back to the store to chat with them about their cars, and introduce them to our service department. During the car buying process, there is so much information. There is the decision making process, settling on the number, obtaining financing and learning about your new car. All of this can be overwhelming. Each of us have told ourselves the lie, " I will remember all of this later". Ha Ha, sure you will. With all of the information given during the car buying process, it is almost impossible to remember every detail. Our goal is to invite our customers back, or a 1-1 1/2 our informative seminar. In the New Owner Clinic (NOC) - we love abbreviations in the car biz - we discuss some key vitals to your vehicle, and try to hit on frequently asked questions (FAQ), to help the transition to working with our service side. We know your time is valuable so we try to keep it simple, informative, and not too long. We have food, drinks, a free raffle with lots of prizes, and everyone receives a free gift for attending. The feedback has been exceptional.

Tacoma Subaru February NOC

The Subaruparts.com team took on some new events this year and attended the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland (April 21-23) and the local race Olympus Rally (May) in Olympia. If you haven't had the chance to attend a national rally race, we are here to tell ya, that is a must see and needs to be added to the bucket list.

Rally pre - race show in Durfur, day 3 of Oregon Trail Rally

May was a particularly busy month, and our Port Orchard Ford location kicked it off with the annual Ford Focus on Hunger Peanut Butter drive in support of their local food bank; S. Kitsap Helpline www.brucetitus.com/pet-project/.
A lot of people don't realize how important Peanut Butter is during the summer months for food banks. Peanut Butter is a high calorie, high protein staple, and can be a life saver for families that are struggling during the summer. The problem with peanut butter, is it is not something people think to donate, it is expensive, and can drain the resources of the local food bank which may not have the resources to stock an appropriate amount. That is the vision behind the annual peanut butter drive. We are truly grateful for the Port Orchard Community and their assistance and generous support of this annual event.

The Port Orchard Ford team also has a very close relationship with the Kitsap Humane Society. While all of stores are a part of the Bruce Titus Pet Project (visit: https://www.brucetitus.com/pet-project/ for more information ) and support their local shelters, Kitsap Humane Society is the only one who had an event this spring. The annual FORE the Animal Tournament was held at Trophy Lake Golf & Casting kitsap-humane.org brucetitus.com on May 19. A huge thank you to Trophy Lake for allowing pets to attend the event. It is a real hoot to meet all of these wonderful pups out golfing with their human. We are confident that everyone sleeps well that night.

Port Orchard is a very active community with lots of festivals and community activities, and May was a busy month for them. The South Kitsap Fire Volunteers held their annual Safety Fair in the Walmart parking lot on May 20. They provided the community with fantastic safety information and clinics as well as some fun. The Dunk Tank was the BEST!! Thank you SKFR for all that you do!

Well, that's it for the winter/spring, but we will keep you posted about all the community events we participate year round!