Ray Auto Group: Warming hearts with Jeeps and toys this holidays season

All year long, the Scarpelli family, owners of Ray Auto Group and its Chevrolet and Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram stores in Fox Lake, IL, is dedicated to supporting its local community. But during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, it especially lights up neighbors with necessities and holiday cheer.

Throughout November, the dealerships collect donations for the local food pantry with a goal each to do better than the last. In December, it hosts a special holiday party at Ray Chevrolet in conjunction with local schools. This invitation-only party is for families and includes a visit from Santa, gifts and stockings for all children, food, and a shopping trip with the local fire department using a gift card it donates to each child.

However, Ray Auto Group is also known for its unique Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots Event, an annual Jeep enthusiast gathering and parade followed by a large community-wide holiday party and toy collection at a local hotel ballroom done in conjunction with Marine Toys for Tots US.

Mike Missak, founder of Jeeps on the Run, started this event 12 years ago to celebrate his love for Jeeps. He started with just 20 friends, all Jeep owners, who gathered for fun at a restaurant to drive from place to place for an afternoon. When it began growing to much larger numbers of Jeep owners, Missak added the toy drive and a reservation system.

Five years ago, Ray Auto Group began partnering with Missak which helped to grow the event and donations even more.

“The support from the Scarpellis and Ray Auto Group propelled this event to the next level,” explains Missak.

Today, 500 Jeep owners gather each year at Ray Auto Group for camaraderie, to bring donated children’s gifts, and to show off their holiday-themed Jeeps. They then convoy to the Marriott Lincolnshire where an estimated 2,500 parents and children gather to visit with Santa, meet real Marines, enjoy food and drink, and can enter a raffle to win a brand-new Jeep. They are met by two to three semi-trucks which will be filled with donated toys and gifts. The event is open to the public.

“Most people don’t realize that when the Scarpelli family donates the new Jeep each year, it’s free and clear,” Missak says. “They hand over the keys and it’s truly amazing how they make a difference for one lucky family.”

Including new vehicles, Ray Auto Group has donated more than $250,000 to Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots over the past several years. Jeeps on the Run Toys for Tots has donated an estimated two million dollars to Toys for Tots since its founding. Both Ray Auto Group and Jeeps on the Run are recognized nationally by the Marine Toys for Tots US foundation.