The Wills Group Tops $1M in 2023 Community Engagement Efforts
LA PLATA, Md. — In 2023, the Wills Group made more than $1 million in total grants and investments to local nonprofits and organizations across the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the company's seventh annual Community Engagement Report.
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Last year's donation efforts contributed to the $6 million in funds donated by the Wills Group since 2006, along with hundreds of volunteer hours invested by employees. The company — along with its subsidiaries including Dash In, Splash In ECO Car Wash and SMO Motor Fuels — primarily used the donations to concentrate on two signature programs: Nourishing Children and Families and Reimagining Outdoor Spaces.
"The theme of this year's report is 'cultivating relationships, sustaining lives,' which speaks to how we dug deeper in 2023 to spread our roots and plant new seeds," said Blackie Wills, president and CEO at Wills Group. "Our success moving forward is continuing to strengthen these enduring partnerships with local nonprofits and community organizations as we can continue to evolve and grow over time, together. We've established relationships where there is an open dialogue about how we can help move their missions forward, and I think that's really positive."
The company's work over the last year received wider recognition by the Washington Business Journal, earning a spot in the Corporate Philanthropy in the Midsize Companies by Giving in Greater D.C. category for the third consecutive year. Dash In additionally received a "Make Beautiful Your Business" acknowledgement from Keep Virginia Beautiful for its support of improving outdoor spaces in Virginia.
Overall, the Wills Group invested more than $150,000 in local communities throughout Virginia in 2023.
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Other notable Wills Group 2023 community engagement work included support for 45 nonprofits, 88% employee participation in the Wills Group Match Campaign and more than $374,000 raised at the Blackie Wills Golf Classic.
The full report is available here.
Founded in 1926 and headquartered in La Plata, family-owned Wills Group is Great Place to Work Certified and operates 300 retail locations across the Mid-Atlantic region.