MARLTON, N.J. (Oct. 21, 2013) The late Richard Kull Jr. was an ardent supporter of the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation, naming 11 family members as Ambassadors since 1994.

"My dad felt the gift of an ambassadorship was a good way to get more people involved in charitable giving," said Larry Kull, president of the Burns Kull Automotive Group, which operates dealerships in New Jersey and Florida. "He knew once they began to designate their charities, they would enjoy the personal satisfaction of helping others."

To become an Ambassador, a dealer, company, association or individual makes a tax-deductible contribution of $10,000 in the Ambassador's name or in recognition of someone living or deceased. Ambassadors are then eligible to provide $1,500 in grants to organizations of their choice every three years in perpetuity.

"As one of the largest local businesses in our community, we feel the need to give back and encourage others to do the same," Kull said. "You cannot find a better opportunity to do this than the Ambassador program. It's the gift that keeps on giving."

The Kull family Ambassadors include Richard's wife, Mary Anne Kull; his sons, John, Larry, Richard and Stephen; his daughters, Sandra Gee and Susan Lanzavecchia; daughter-in-law, Deborah Kull; and sons-in-law, James Gee and Peter Lanzavecchia. 

In addition to the Kull family, the dealership group has named five business partners, Ed Burns and his wife, Freyda Burns Jim Gruccio, Jim McCormick and Robert McCormick, as Ambassadors.

Donors with three or more gifts of $10,000 to the program—like the Kull family—are designated Ambassadors of Distinction and can present $2,000 grants every year in perpetuity.

Since 1998, the Kull family has contributed $56,500 in Ambassadors grants to several organizations in New Jersey chosen by the family, which include the American Organization for Rehabilitation Training, Evesham Educational Foundation, Rutgers University Foundation and Bishop Eustace Prep School.  

Richard Kull, a former NADA Foundation trustee who worked in the retail-auto industry for 55 years, co-founded the Burns Kull Automotive Group with Burns in 1981. Kull died on Aug. 24, 2013.

"They say it's not the years in your life but the life in your years," said Kull. "But with all the family and friends he was blessed with, you could say he lived a thousand years."

About the Ambassadors Program
Today, there are 650 Ambassadors who provide about $250,000 each year to organizations in the public or private sector, supporting a variety of causes from emergency medical services and education to civic organizations. This year, 215 Ambassadors will present grants to organizations of their choice. For more information or to become an Ambassador, visit nadafoundation.org or contact the NADA Foundation at 703.821.7102 or foundation@nada.org.

About the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation
The NADA Foundation, established in 1975, is the philanthropic arm of the National Automobile Dealers Association. Funds contributed by new-car and -truck dealers and friends of the industry provide financial support to schools, private colleges and universities, emergency disaster relief and community service programs. For more information, visit nadafoundation.org.