Schools get a good deal, with no haggling

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- A new alliance with car dealerships on Harbor Boulevard

will mean big bucks for schools.

The group of dealerships known as the Harbor Boulevard of Cars

officially announced its new Dollars for Schools program Tuesday night,

which organizers estimate will raise $200,000 a year.

For each car sold by participating dealers during a 12-month period, a

percentage of that money will be donated to support various projects in

the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

The first $50,000 check, delivered Tuesday night, will help the Costa

Mesa Athletics Foundation pay for an Olympic-size aquatic facility at

Costa Mesa High School.

“We’re thrilled,” said Diana Carey, principal of Costa Mesa High.

“It’s such a wonderful gift to our students, athletics and just the

community in general.”

The dealership group had been searching for a way to give back to the

community, said Jon Gray, president of Orange Coast Jeep Isuzu.

“It started with meetings and blossomed into something exciting,” said

Gray, who grew up in Costa Mesa and attended Balearic School, TeWinkle

Middle School and graduated from Estancia High School. “It’s one thing to

give back to the community, but to give back to the community’s kids is

another.”

His history in the community and his desire to help the schools his

2-year-old son, Conner, will one day attend made Gray the ideal dealer to

present the first check, along with Sonny Kapur, owner of Sonny’s Costa

Mesa Pontiac GMC Buick.

Funds from the Dollars for Schools program will be given to the

Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation on a quarterly basis to be doled out for

various projects.

Trustee Jim Ferryman, who has worked closely with the dealers in

organizing the project, was overjoyed to see it finally get underway.

“This new marketing program is very exciting,” he said. “It shows a

tremendous commitment to our district and a huge commitment to the

community.”