Driven To Make a Difference

Serving together has and always will be a tradition at the heart of Hendrick Automotive Group culture. Through our corporate social responsibility program, Hendrick Cares, we’ve spent over 45 years caring for others in an effort to strengthen the communities we serve.

Hendrick Cares is more than a name or a set of initiatives; it represents an unwavering passion. Time and again, our teammates step up to meet the needs of others and be the force for positive change.

Whether we are providing meals to families in need, promoting education and workforce development, or supporting local causes and organizations that our teammates are passionate about, our company is united in the shared mission to make a lasting impact in the communities we call home.

From Hendrick GMC in Columbia, South Carolina, to each of our locations across the country, our commitment to caring for others remains the same.

Our Fight Against Hunger

Every year, Hendrick Automotive Group teammates rally together to support our hunger relief efforts.

What began in 2001 as a local Thanksgiving food drive has grown into a year-round mission to feed our neighbors in need. Today, our Spring, Fall, and Virtual Meal Drives provide critical support when food insecurity is felt most, such as school breaks when children don’t have access to daily meals or around the holidays when families want to gather and enjoy a traditional holiday meal. From raising funds to packing and distributing meals, our teammates show up with compassion and purpose.

That servant spirit is perhaps most evident during one of our company’s most meaningful traditions – Hendrick Week of Service. Held each July to celebrate our Chairman and CEO Rick Hendrick’s birthday, this annual event mobilizes teammates from coast to coast for a week-long fight against hunger. During this year’s Week of Service, over 500 teammates volunteered at 15 different meal packing events in every state we operate in.

Over the past 25 years, these ongoing efforts have resulted in millions of pounds of food donated and millions of dollars raised to support our food bank partners, all so individuals and families have reliable access to nutritious meals.

Championing the Next Generation

The automotive industry is experiencing a growing demand for a new generation of highly skilled and qualified technicians. At Hendrick Automotive Group, we’re doing our part to address this need by investing in students and schools across the country. From public education to technical training programs, we’re focused on driving interest, creating pathways, and helping young people develop the tools they need to build successful automotive careers.

Our investment in automotive training begins with local initiatives that help students prepare for a career in the industry. Through a longstanding partnership with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Matthews, North Carolina, we helped fund the construction of the Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology. Opened in 2006, this state-of-the-art facility serves more than 3,000 aspiring technicians each year. More recently, we launched an apprenticeship program that combines CPCC students’ coursework with real-world experience at our dealerships.

Another milestone in our workforce development efforts occurred in 2022 when Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina, unveiled the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence. With the help of a $1 million endowment from Hendrick Automotive Group, this new facility allowed the college to triple the number of students in its automotive systems technology program and introduce a new degree program in collision repair.

In 2021, we launched the “Hendrick, Get Set. Go!” grant program in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR Cup Series Champion, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Kyle Larson. Combining our passion for racing with our commitment to education and training, this program uses the excitement of HendrickCars.com racing to spotlight science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers within the automotive and racing industries.

Selected schools receive a $25,000 grant to purchase tools and equipment that enhance the curriculum of their automotive programs. Since the program began, we’ve announced over 10 “Hendrick, Get Set. Go!” grants across the country, with over $280,000 donated to help students get to the starting line of their future careers.

Investing in Health, Hope, and Community

Driven by a deep personal connection, Rick and Linda Hendrick established the Hendrick Family Foundation in 2016 to centralize and expand their family’s philanthropic efforts. The foundation consolidated and built on the legacy of its predecessor, the Hendrick Marrow Program, which raised over $15 million since its founding in 1997 to help match patients with life-saving marrow transplants.

As a leukemia survivor, Mr. Hendrick is passionate about supporting healthcare organizations and causes that provide critical services and hope to those in need. The Hendrick Family Foundation has contributed millions of dollars to fuel the missions of Levine Children’s Hospital, Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program, and Vision To Learn, which provides optometry services to children in underserved communities.

Additionally, Hendrick Automotive Group proudly supports the Hendrick Family Foundation’s annual fundraising event, the Learn Live Hope Golf Classic. Each year, this golf tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, attracts hundreds of players and sponsors who raise millions to support the foundation’s life-changing work.

Carrying the Mission Forward

At every level of our organization, giving back is an integral part of the culture at Hendrick Automotive Group. Whether we are fighting hunger, supporting education and training, or advancing healthcare, our teammates continuously support the causes that are near and dear to our hearts.

It’s the sum of these efforts that gave rise to the phrase “Hendrick Cares” long before it was the official name of our corporate social responsibility program.

We’re proud to carry our servant spirit forward at Hendrick GMC and look forward to making a positive impact on the greater Columbia community.

Because at Hendrick, giving back isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are.