An ADESA auction at the NADA Show in Las Vegas raised more than $50,000 for the NADA Foundation, which supports Canine Companions for Independence.
Jay Huston, of Carpinteria, Calif., who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, and his dog, Hurley (Labrador/Golden Retriever cross), attended the auction to raise awareness of Canine Companions. Huston fractured his spine in two places during an airborne operation and suffers from chronic pain.
“Canine Companions came into my life in 2008,” said Huston, who resides in San Diego, Calif. “Hurley is trained to open doors, turn the lights off and on and picks up dropped items. I do not know how I would do many things without him.”
Joe Verde, president of Joe Verde Group in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and a longtime supporter of Canine Companions, placed the first winning bid of $25,000 on a 2017 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL1200CX and then donated the motorcycle back to ADESA to be re-auctioned.
Tony Bacily from STG Auto Group in Mountclair, Calif., placed the final winning bid of $25,000, bringing the total to $50,000.
“We believe in supporting people and communities — that includes partnering with the NADA Foundation in supporting Canine Companions, an organization that gives those with disabilities a chance at living independent lives again,” said John Hammer, president of ADESA. "After seven years, our support of the NADA Foundation through our annual auction has now become a tradition that we are proud to uphold."
“The NADA Foundation appreciates ADESA’s auctions that support the Frank E. McCarthy Memorial Fund each year,” said Annette Sykora, NADA Foundation chairman. “Their generosity has generated funds to provide several dogs to wounded warriors through Canine Companions."
ADESA auctions over the past seven NADA Shows have raised more than $384,000 for the NADA Foundation’s McCarthy fund, in whose name the donation to Canine Companions is made. McCarthy served as NADA's chief executive from 1968 to 2001.
"We are all making a positive impact and helping people live independently though this partnership," added Sykora, who served as NADA chairman in 2008.
