No convincing needed .... We’re completely on board with Wellspring’s mission.
Pictured above is the 2023 Nissan Kicks donated by Coastal Dealerships with owner, Tom Norton, Kristen Walker and Wellspring CEO, Vinny Harte.
How and when did philanthropy become a part of your life?
Growing up in Michigan, my family was always involved in our community and volunteered in many capacities. My parents led scouting troops. My dad served on the city council. My mom was recently honored for her lifetime contributions to the Junior League of Detroit. There wasn’t much question about contributing, it was just a matter of where and when.
During college I participated in an Appalachian trip to build homes and saw how circumstances beyond one’s control could result in extreme hardship. That really stayed with me, and I sought other opportunities where I could share my time to help someone else. Before we moved to Hingham, I enjoyed tutoring with the Boys and Girls Club in Boston and serving on the board for the Good Shepherd Hospice organization in Newton.
When did you first become aware of Wellspring?
Once we moved to the south shore and established our Nissan dealership in Norwell, we began looking for a charity partner that we could support more substantially. We were looking for an organization that served a larger community rather than just one town or specific condition. I attended an event at Black Rock Country Club and Vinny Harte was the speaker. As soon as I heard about the philosophy behind Wellspring’s work, I knew we had found our partner. Richard and I, as well as our business partners, Tom and Dana Norton, were completely on board with the mission of Wellspring to help people get back on their feet and return to self-sufficiency. It has been amazing to see how Wellspring has grown and adapted to meet the needs of the clients it serves over the past 20 years.
What was your initial involvement?
We found creative ways to support Wellspring through the years. When our kids were little, we would bring carloads of kids with bags of groceries to donate to the food pantry. Later we supported the Drowned Hogs (now Winter Warriors) with tie-dyed T-shirts for the plunge event. We even had Kevin Faulk, our marketing partner when he was a Patriot, distribute Thanksgiving turkeys at Wellspring!
How are you involved today?
I’ve served on the Foundation Board for many years in addition to participating in as many events as possible. For the last three years, Coastal has been able to donate vehicles to raffle to raise money for Wellspring. This year Vinny said that Wellspring could really use a car to transport their staff and clients, so we donated a vehicle directly to Wellspring.
How did you convince Coastal Dealerships to support Wellspring?
No convincing needed! I just told Richard and Tom that I had found our partner.
Coastal Dealerships most recently put Wellspring billboards on Rte 3. How did that come about?
We had been working to get approval for an electronic billboard on our property for years and we finally jumped the last hurdle this spring. We reached out to many of our community partners with the opportunity to feature their organization on the board. We will be adding paid advertising soon but until then we wanted to use this space to feature amazing local charities at no charge.
Kristen’s Background:
I grew up in suburban Detroit with my parents and two sisters. I came out to Boston College and never went back! Richard, Tom, Dana and I all met while working for Toyota and maintained our friendship after leaving Toyota. We decided to partner up to start our own dealership in 2001. Initially our Nissan dealership was located in Cohasset, but we relocated to Norwell in 2005 and maintained the Cohasset location for service and repair work. We’ve since added Volkswagen and a collision center to the family and the rest is history!