The 2024 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award

The 2024 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award

We are honored to be nationally recognized by Subaru of America, Inc. for our dedication to our customers, our community, and the Subaru Love Promise.

The 2024 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award recognizes elite Subaru retailers who provide an exceptional customer experience at every interaction with Subaru. These retailers have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting passions and causes in their local communities in important areas such as environment, community, health, education, and pets.

What is the Subaru Love Promise?

Subaru and our retailers believe in making the world a better place and the Subaru Love Promise is our vision of respecting all people. This is our commitment to show love and respect to our customers and to work to make a positive impact in the world.

The 2024 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award
The Subaru Love Promise
Did River City Subaru go above and beyond, provide exceptional service, or support causes that are important to you? We'd love to hear about it.
Love Promise Poster
Did River City Subaru go above and beyond, provide exceptional service, or support causes that are important to you? We'd love to hear about it.

Love Promise Stories from River City Subaru

Subaru and River City Subaru believe in making a positive impact on the communities in which we live and work. We uphold that belief through our Love Promise Community Commitment. Every month, we select inspiring stories from customers and partners from around our area who strive to support our collective commitment and feature them here.

Thank you!! - Stephanie H.

River City Subaru has been a wonderful supporter of Little Victories for many years. With their help we have been able to perform much needed surgeries and treatments, provide medication, they provided us a generator during an ice storm that left us with no power for 13 day and we have been able give our community free spay neuter vouchers. This year we spayed and neutered 61 cats and 27 dog! Think of all the unwanted births we saved. As the Executive Director for Little Victories I see the impact River City Subaru has on our community and now I get to support them. I will be buying a new car from them in the next few weeks. Thank you to Ikie and my friends at River City!

Little Victories Animal Rescue

River City Subaru Super Heroes - Kristi A.

With River City Subaru and Share the Love, the Hoops Family Children's Hospital has been able to make an impact for our young babies and children in our pediatric oncology dept. and the Children's Advocacy Center. We are grateful for this support All the children in the HFCH, say thank you to River City Subaru!

Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation

Continued Support for Veterans! - Oscar D.

I highly appreciate River City Subaru continued support for Veterans. This the fifth year they have shown support for the VFW’s Veterans Charity Golf Scramble that benefits local Veterans and their families.

Our Employees Love The Earth! - Chad R.

Employees at River City Subaru love to do positive things for our environment. Together we collect soda cans, and once a car-load is saved up, we donate them to a local recycling center. ❤️

River City Subaru Loves Learning - Natalie L.

I am a 5th grade teacher at Salt Rock Elementary and was graciously blessed to meet the staff at River City Subaru. I was very worried about purchasing classroom supplies for my students, but our school received a very generous monetary donation from River City Subaru and Subaru of America through their Subaru Loves Learning® campaign. This allowed me to buy the critical supplies both my students and I need to complete a day of learning. Items such as pencils, paper, notebooks, erasers, pencil boxes, colored pencils, dry erase boards with markers, and printing paper are just a few of the many needed supplies I was going to have to purchase. Thank you River City Subaru for partnering with our school and for helping our small town community!

River City Subaru Blood Drive - Rylee R.

This is the 2nd year in a row that River City Subaru has hosted a blood drive with the Red Cross. Thank you so much for not only hosting, but for all the employees helping to save lives as well.

Everyone Deserves a Chance - Stephanie H.

For the month of October Little Victories Animal Rescue Group partnered with River City Subaru for a free community spay and neuter program and an adoption program. Both were very successful. We were able to give away 30 spays and 28 neuters free to cats and dogs in our community. This will eliminate hundreds of unwanted pregnancies in our area. The adoption program too was successful, in many ways, but there was one that we never thought would happen. A sassy character from the day he arrived, Malachite was meant to liven up this world. Dropped on Little Victories doorstep in a way-too-small box, it was immediately clear Malachite was not healthy as he dragged his lifeless back legs behind him. We feared the worst as the veterinarian diagnosed Malachite with swimmers syndrome-- an uncommon developmental deformity in which the hind limbs are splayed laterally resulting in an inability to stand or walk. Generally considered untreatable, a common diagnosis for swimmers syndrome is euthanasia. But Malachite is a fighter. Thanks to diligent care from his foster, Malachite was able to regain some use of one of his legs. The other, unfortunately, was partially amputated, and the nerve damage to his back end, among other factors, continues to cause severe urinary tract issues. He will likely need help urinating for the rest of his life. This means years of help and medical costs. We thought Malachite was going to be one of our lifelong residents because we are a no-kill rescue, but not to be. A couple who saw all his spunk decided he would be the perfect fit with them and their three dogs. The kitten who was never expected to survive is now living life to the fullest with his new family.

Little Victories Animal Rescue Group

1st Time Meeting Easter Bunny - Nick T.

Thank you River City Subaru and Chad Rhodes for allowing parents to come to the dealership for free Easter photos with the Easter Bunny. This was Kainan's first time meeting the Easter Bunny and it couldn't have gone any better. There were a lot of kids that showed up and hopefully this is something that River City continues doing.

River City Subaru Donates Blankets to Cabell Huntington Hospital - Jessica P.

River City Subaru partnered with the Hoops Family Children's Hospital and Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center at Cabell Huntington Hospital. The donation of blankets will bring a little love to our adult and pediatric patients during difficult and challenging times. We are so grateful for their donation!

Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation

Cause For Paws - Stephanie H.

October 1st Little Victories partnered with River City Subaru to kick off the Cause For Paws campaign. We are educating the public about the importance of spay and neuter. Since January 1st LV has been asked to take in 507 puppies and dogs and 4,231 kittens and cats, "Paws" a minute to think of all those unwanted pets. Subaru and ASPCA gave Little Victories grant money for vouchers to give out to the community for free spay and neuters. We gave out 85! Just think of all the unwanted lives we will be able to spare. Thank you River City for allowing us to host this event at your dealership and for all you do for our community!

Little Victories Animal Rescue Group

Books for Children - Angie K.

It has been clear to the staff at Nichols Elementary for many years now that River City Subaru loves learning. They have supported us in a variety of ways both for fundraising and teaching. Ikie, Tammy, Hutton, and Reagan have helped with the school carnival, sewing pillows for heart patients, donating school supplies and much more. However, a few years ago, they took their donations to a new level: classroom sets of books for our teachers that support what we are doing in the classroom. Those literacy goodies have inspired several projects for individual students and/or the classroom. A book on breaking the waste cycle motivated one class to do a recycling project. Several students have been delighted to see a title on keeping chickens. One young lady used that book as a basis for a Social Studies Fair project on her egg business. Books on gardening assist us in our Viking Garden endeavors. However, the best book of all, in my opinion, is one on Temple Grandin, a woman who embraced her autism to earn a PHD in animal science. Her biography teaches our students a message from Plato, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Thank you River City Subaru for sending this message of hope, change, and acceptance to our students who will one day change the world.

Ongoing Support - Olivia Z.

There's support, and then there's River City support. Ronald McDonald House of Huntington is so grateful for the commitment this team shows the kiddos we serve. Sometimes it's money, sometimes it's recreation, sometimes it's promoting our mission to serve sick children and their families --year after year, they help hold us up. Their support is unconditional; whatever we most need, they're helping us get there. While occasionally that looks like our really cool media/gaming room, or Maggie's Playground (both projects with River City's sponsorship) more often it looks like operating money to pay for necessities. Our expenses are similar to any home, but with 20 families under one roof. When Holdyn was going through chemo, he wanted to take hot baths all day long. Jaxon requested pizza. Madilynn gets cheered up on infusion day with a new hair bow and fishing pole. It's not glamorous or flashy. It's quiet, humble support of our day-to-day expenses that make this a "home away from home" for families facing their worst nightmare. And for that, we feel such a sincere appreciation for River City Subaru; Ikie, Tammy, Hutton & Reagan Light; their entire team and their customers. Your ongoing support makes the RMH mission possible.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Huntington

Helping to Save the Day - Stephanie H.

Amid a year of COVID, Little Victories was hit hard with a debilitating ice storm, flood and CATastrophe. In February of 2021, an ice storm left us without power for 13 days. Knowing we had to keep the animals in our care warm, we reached out on social media asking for donations to buy and run generators. Not long after the request, I got a text from Ikie saying he wanted to help us and to stop by and pick up a check the next day. It wasn’t just a donation. He covered the cost of a whole generator! As the ice melted, floodwaters took its place, filling our facilities and once again endangering our animals. Just as we seemed to clean up after all Mother Nature had to throw at us, in April, 44 kittens were abandoned on our doorstep, most of them in dire health. The vetting cost to heal their illnesses, care for their injuries and vaccines was unthinkable. The Share the Love campaign check presentation couldn’t have come at a better time! We were able to cover all the vetting thanks to the Share the Love campaign and community support. Ikie and his team have such a great sense of community and compassion. If not for the support of community leaders like Ikie, nonprofits like Little Victories could not do their essential work. I am forever grateful to River City Subaru, Ikie, Tiffany, and the rest of the team. Thank you!

Little Victories Animal Rescue Group

Blankets for those in need. - Hutton L.

This time of year can be extremely tough for the homeless due to the cold. Chris Short, a sales consultant at River City Subaru, delivered boxes and boxes of blankets to the staff at our local City Mission located in Huntington for people in need, so they can stay warm during the cold winter months!

Bringing Easter Joy for Kids! - Nick T.

Due to Covid-19 many kids couldn’t make it out to see the Easter Bunny. Our Sales Manager Chad Rhodes and his wife Jessica Donahue Rhodes, gave back to the community and spread some Easter joy from their Subaru to brighten the day of local kids, traffic and even a drive-thru!

Continued Support for The American Legion - Eric C.

The American Legion is the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. River City Subaru has been great supporter of The American Legion over the years.They have provided vehicle transportation for our members and veterans during events. They recently provided a cash donation to support our newsletter for members. We thank you for your continued support!

River City Subaru’s help was a slam dunk! - Tony P.

On behalf of The Flame Elite Travel Team, We would like to thank River City Subaru for a very generous donation to our basketball team. Your contribution will help the boys to participate in highly distinguished tournaments and will provide for AAU travel expenses. Without the support of people like you, we would not be able to reach our goals. Thank you once again for your generous support to our team.

Filling up a Forester with Love! - Jaye T.

This year River City Subaru kicked off their annual Share the Love Campaign by partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Huntington. Tuesday, November 13th, They had a Subaru Forester on site at the Ronald McDonald House located at 1500 17th Street, Huntington, WV 25701. They invited the community to fill it with supplies for RMH to use throughout the season. Supplies included (but were not limited to): toilet paper, garbage bags, postage stamps, office supplies, nonperishable food items, toiletries, dishwasher pods, etc. Basically, anything you need at home, times 20 families, and River City Subaru came through on their promise! Winter months bring an influx of flu, RSV, etc. and RMH often operates on a waiting list. We need help from our community to keep the facility stocked with supplies and groceries so that families don’t have to worry about those things, and can focus entirely on getting their child well. Thank you River City Subaru for your time and service to the community!

Balloons for Team Owenn! - Chad R.

Owenn is a 4-year-old little boy who was diagnosed with leukemia. He has gotten a lot of stuff thrown at him in his short life but he is a fighter. On September 27th we had the balloon release at Salt Rock Elementary School. It was a very rainy day but seeing those gold balloons go in the sky makes your heart happy." I called River City Subaru on a chance Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm. I told them who Owenn was because they are partnered up with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society who done a thing back in summer at the hospital together and Owenn was invited. She called me back and said they would love to help! I couldn’t help but cry when she told me that and said is that a good cry or bad cry? I said it’s a very good cry! She said, Honey, I’ll have to call you back because you’re making me cry! So about 20 minutes later she called me back and we got all the details worked out." We were very blessed that River City Subaru not only donated the helium but brought out the tank and helped blow up the balloons. We used all of one tank so he had to go get another one from River City Ford. While we used the rest of the second tank, he felt bad because we still had balloons left to blow up. He offered to go to Wal-Mart to get more tanks so all the balloons could be blown up. I told him it was ok because we had enough for the students to have one and that’s what we wanted the most The guy was at the school at 9 am Thursday morning, he tied the first 100 balloons by himself and his fingers were bleeding by the time he was done. The people at River City have gone above and beyond for us and we are so very thankful and blessed. - Jennifer B., Owenn's Mom #TeamOwenn

River City’s Gifts Delight Young Cancer Patients - Breanna S.

After last year’s heartwarming visit, River City Subaru was enthusiastic about returning to Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center (ECCC) for another year of their “Subaru Loves to Care” partnership. The goal of Loves to Care is to help people live healthier lives. Working with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), River City aims to meet that goal by making cancer treatment more comfortable for patients at ECCC. River City demonstrated their commitment to these patients by donating cozy new throw blankets, arts and crafts kits, and piles of care cards which feature messages of hope and inspiration written by River City customers and employees to patients in treatment. Chad Rhodes, Hutton Light, and Tammy Light from River City delivered the gifts from the dealership to the hospital, then stayed to help the ECCC staff hand out the donations to kids who were waiting to receive treatment that day. They reconnected with Owenn, the 7-year-old LLS Honored Hero who helped with last year’s delivery. Some of the other kids were shy at first, but once Chad, Hutton, and Tammy started opening the arts and crafts kits, even the more tentative little ones approached. Soon enough, everyone was busy opening boxes of brand new markers, crayons, and glitter paint. The big hit was the modeling clay, and soon, miniature duck, porcupine, and robot figurines were popping up all over the room. The ECCC staff thanked the River City team for spending time with the kids, and for bringing smiles to their faces. “We had a great time with these brave and wonderful children,” said Tammy. It was an incredibly generous gesture from River City Subaru to provide these soft blankets and activity kits to young patients going through very rough treatments. LLS appreciates the help of everyone at River City Subaru, Subaru of America, ECCC, and Cabell Huntington Hospital who made this special day possible!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Helping Sick Children and their Families - Jaye T.

Ronald McDonald House in Huntington, WV provides a “home away from home” for very sick children and their families, during a child’s medical treatment. Jaye Toler, development director, said families arrive, tired and worried. “They’re looking for a place of refuge,” Toler said. “They often haven’t slept or eaten well for days – or longer. They are panicked over receiving frightening news. They come to us, like shells of themselves, and we try to offer comfort and normalcy; anything to help them continue to function during this hardship.” Normalcy comes in the form of a hotel-style bedroom, kitchens stocked with meals and supplies, and staff and volunteers, ready to lend a shoulder. Guests use the Ronald McDonald House as a place to recharge between doctor’s appointments and treatments. Ikie and Tammy Light, of River City Ford and River City Subaru, have taken that one step further. “I was at Ronald McDonald House with my wife during the construction of their new playground last winter and Jaye offered to take us on a tour of the facility,” Light said. “One thing I noticed is that they had a computer room that looked very dated, there were cubicles and it appeared very bland. Jaye told us an update was on their wish list, with the vision to have a nice media room where both kids and their parents would like to come and spend time.” Within a few weeks, Ikie called us and said they wanted to make the new media room a reality. The Lights, RMH staff, architects, and designers got to work planning a gorgeous, state-of-the-art media room for families to use during their stay at Ronald McDonald House. The media room, with a bonus sitting area, consists of televisions, tall shelves lined with books, new computers with workstations, an Xbox and Playstation, vivid art and décor, and more. Toler said guests use the space to play video games, read, work or do schoolwork. “Sometimes families are here for much longer than they originally prepared,” she said. “In those instances, they often need to telecommute for their jobs. One RMH dad regularly uses the space for conference calls. Others work on schoolwork from the computers or research a diagnosis or treatment. RMH executive director, Margaret Wilson, said the renovation amazed her. “Ikie and his team have taken this room and recreated it entirely,” Wilson said. “It’s gone from drab to vibrant – with bright colors and brand-new technology. Our families are thrilled with this space.” The new media room came after Tammy Light spent months working on a major project at RMH – Maggie’s Playground. Tammy served as Materials Coordinator for the months-long project and would drive all over town soliciting tools or equipment we needed to build a large, wheelchair-accessible playground, dreamt by a 6-year-old cancer warrior, Maggie. The Light’s commitment to sick children in our area is overwhelming. They serve with their time – donating their labor to our mission. They are major donors; knowing that we must raise $650,000/year for our annual operating budget (no guest is ever asked to pay for their stay at RMH – we want them to focus on getting their child well!). They are ambassadors in our community and encourage others to help. The world needs more Lights and more River City Subarus!

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Huntington, Inc

A Little Victory - Stephanie H.

A big "tail wag" to River City Subaru! They have once again joined Little Victories Animal Rescue in the fight to save homeless, injured, abused and abanded animals. Through a social media ad campaign, River City Subaru is donating a portion of each car sold to Little Victories during the month of June. The money that will be donated will go to the spay and neuter of our future rescues. As the Executive Director, I want to thank Ikie for his unwavering support and the staff for their enthusiasm for this project. Because of people like you, we have many "Happy Tails," thank you!

Little Victories Animal Rescue

River City Donations Help Kids Fighting Cancer - Breanna S.

River City Subaru swooped into Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center (ECCC) on July 25 like superheroes. Partnering with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the dealership provided a surprise for those patients bravely battling cancer. Nick Thomas and Hutton Light from River City not only brought art kits and 80 blankets for ECCC’s patients, but also went above and beyond the call of duty, bringing superhero figurines for the two cancer-fighting kids they knew would be helping them deliver these gifts at the hospital. Owenn, a 6-year-old LLS Honored Hero who is in remission, was one of the helpers there to thank Subaru. He and his brother, Bryce, couldn’t wait to unpack the art kits and joined Cameron, another Cancer Center patient, in an impromptu painting party. Everyone’s hearts were bursting at seeing these little boys so happy despite all they’ve been through. “They were so kind to give Owenn and his brothers blankets and art supplies, and also for bringing Owenn and Cameron Batman and Superman toys,” Owenn’s mom, Jen, gushed. “Thank you for thinking about us.” On behalf of LLS, Owenn and Cameron’s families, and ECCC, we are so grateful to River City Subaru, Subaru of America and their customers for making this inspirational (and fun!) day possible not only for these two little boys, but also for the other 78 patients who will benefit from the generosity of this gift. Thank you, River City Subaru, for using your superpowers for good, to benefit your community.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Western PA & WV

Subaru and NWF Love the Earth! - Josh W.

Our Outdoor Learning Center has been a work of passion between my students and myself for the last 3 years. We started with a Lowes Toolbox for Education grant and secured several other grants the past few years to make our dream a reality. It's now a place where students can learn and relax and have a change of pace from the standard classroom model. We're very proud of what we've achieved.

National Wildlife Federation

Flood Relief Efforts in West Virginia - Margaret O.

Beckley, WV April 6th, 2017 Subaru Share the Love Event Raises over $51,000 for United Way’s. During this 9th year of Subaru’s Share the Love Event, all eight West Virginia Subaru retailers went above and beyond by selecting United Way as their hometown charity to support flood relief efforts in central and southern West Virginia. As the Share the Love hometown charity, customers at River City Subaru had the option to select the United Way to receive the $250 donation when they purchased or leased a new Subaru in November and December. These donations were then matched by River City Subaru. United Way of Central WV, United Way of Greenbrier Valley and United Way of Southern WV were very thankful for these Subaru retailers and their joint effort to raise funds for people most affected by the June 2016 flood. The check presentation was made at United Way of Southern West Virginia by Subaru retailers from Cole Subaru, Jenkins Subaru and Hometown Subaru.

United Way of Southern WV