LA PLATA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wills Group, parent company of Dash In convenience stores and Splash In car washes, announced the launch of its partnership with Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay as part of the company's new corporate community engagement initiative, Advancing Waterways and Watersheds. Wills Group announced the partnership at the eighth annual Blackie Wills Golf Classic, kicking off the collaboration with a $50,000 grant to support the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s “Project Clean Stream.”
The new Wills Group initiative – Advancing Waterways and Watersheds – was created to support the health and sustainability of vital water resources across the Mid-Atlantic region. The program is the third pillar of Wills Group’s community engagement program, joining Wills Group’s ongoing efforts to Nourishing Families and Children and Reimagining Outdoor Spaces. Since 2006, Wills Group has donated more than $6.5 million to nonprofit organizations and partners across Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
Wills Group also announced that this year’s Blackie Wills Golf Classic raised more than $427,000 to further support its community engagement program. Now in its eighth year, the Blackie Wills Golf Classic has resulted in more than $3 million raised since 2017 to support nonprofit organizations, such as food banks, pantries, and local parks.
“We are excited to expand our community engagement efforts with the launch of our Advancing Waterways and Watersheds program,” said Wills Group President and CEO Julian B. (Blackie) Wills. “Wills Group has operated in Southern Maryland for nearly 100 years, and the Chesapeake Bay is an essential natural resource spanning the Mid-Atlantic region – as a habitat for wildlife, an important fishery, and source of recreation. Our new program builds on the Wills Group’s ongoing commitment to outdoor spaces, and given our location, it is only fitting that this new initiative centers on the health of waterways and watersheds.”
Wills Group’s new partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will support “Project Clean Stream,” the largest trash cleanup initiative in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In November, Wills Group will kick off its first Advancing Waterways and Watersheds employee volunteer day with Wills Group, Dash In, Splash In, and Alliance for Chesapeake Bay employees working together to remove trash and debris from a local stream in Columbia, Maryland, which funnels into the Chesapeake Bay.
“We're thrilled to partner with Wills Group and its companies on this important project,” said Kate Fritz, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. “This partnership is a great example of how collaboration between local businesses and organizations can drive meaningful change. By working together on Project Clean Stream, we are making significant strides toward our shared goal of restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed with cleaner water and thriving ecosystems.”
The Advancing Waterways and Watersheds initiative aligns with Wills Group’s line of business, Splash In car washes, and Splash In’s commitment to chemical filtration and water reclamation. Splash In delivers an efficient car wash that results in as much as three times less water used when compared to a car wash at home.
For nearly 100 years, Wills Group’s commitment to community engagement has been grounded in its purpose – Lives in Motion – an expression of the company’s goal to move people forward toward their goals and dreams. Wills Group and its companies, including Dash In and Splash In, partners with local communities to leverage the knowledge and skills of community organizations and its members, focusing on addressing immediate needs related to hunger and recreation, two essential issue areas that help communities thrive.
For more information about Wills Group’s Community Engagement efforts and how Wills Group works to keep Lives in Motion visit: willsgroup.com/community.
About Wills Group, Inc.
Headquartered in La Plata, Maryland, Wills Group is Great Place to Work Certified™ and has nearly 300 retail locations across the Mid-Atlantic region, including Dash In, Splash In ECO Car Wash, and SMO Motor Fuels. A family-owned company since 1926 with expertise in convenience retailing, fuels marketing, and commercial real estate, Wills Group prides itself on keeping customers’, employees’ and communities’ Lives in Motion. For more information about Wills Group, visit willsgroup.com.
About the Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund
All proceeds from the annual Blackie Wills Golf Classic support the Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund. The Fund was created in 2016 to honor Wills Group President Julian Blacklock Blackie” Wills, Sr. and his commitment to giving back to local communities. The Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund actively reinvests in the community to support opportunities for people to move forward toward their goals and dreams, and for our teams to connect and grow with their community to keep Lives in Motion. The Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund is a component fund within Chesapeake Charities, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
