Hawaii auto dealer Mike McKenna won AIADA's 2005 Dealer of the Year Award, consider the words he used to express his gratitude.
At a reception following the ceremony, McKenna kept saying how the award will help "us" and how "we" will use it to achieve our goals.
McKenna's goal, the focus of his philanthropy which brought him to the point of winning his trade's most prestigious award, can be summed up in one word -- education.
McKenna, owner of Windward Mazda and Windward Ford in Kailua, Hawaii, was named Dealer of the Year Tuesday, May 17, on the first day of AIADA's 28th Annual Automotive Congress. The award was presented in association with Newsweek magazine, which will feature AIADA in a special six-page section in the May 23 issue. McKenna was chosen among a field of ten finalists who have contributed millions of dollars and thousands of hours to supporting their local communities.
Each of the finalist's contributions in time, effort and money could easily merit winning the top award. But what made McKenna stand out is how his initial solo efforts inspired a movement among his fellow dealers that has created an unusual precedent for any industry -- thanks to Hawaii auto dealers, universal testing legislation for grades 3-8 was passed three years ago, and now they are sponsoring a complete overhaul of the state's reading curriculum.
"Education is our paramount goal," McKenna said. "This is such an honor for us -- such a small state like Hawaii -- it's going to help us in a lot of ways."
The path to McKenna's honor began with a small request -- a parent asked for just a $100 donation to support an alcohol-free graduation night party.
It turns out she asked the right guy -- on McKenna's own high school graduation night, 47 years prior, he was a passenger in an alcohol-fueled wreck that injured eight kids, but in which no one was seriously hurt.
So instead of writing the check, McKenna said, "what if I give you a car"? With a gull-wing Bricklin as a giveaway, attendance at the party shot from 35% to 97%. After news of the giveaway prompted other schools to approach McKenna, soon there were similar programs at five Hawaii high schools.
The program was so effective, McKenna suggested donating use of a Jetta to Hawaii's State Teacher of the Year at a 1999 Volkswagen Dealers Association meeting. Separately, McKenna was running yet another program, the "Spirit of Giving" where he personally donates $100 to the schools for every car his dealership sells. With 9,456 cars in the program to date, his total contribution is $945,600.
And even in Hawaii, a great idea can snowball -- that single Teacher of the Year car soon became "7 Cars for 7 Teachers," as a way to honor each district's top educators. The programs helped morale in Hawaii's education system, where low pay and poor student performance were consistent problems, and McKenna said there is nothing more important than focusing on education.
"These are our kids -- keikis, we call them -- and it's our investment in the future, for our kids."
And the education effort now had momentum. The winning teachers volunteered at the Hawaii Auto Show, where the Department of Education showcased curriculum issues and new standardized testing. And that in turn led to the dealers proposing legislation supporting "SAT9" testing in grades 3-8. With that passed in 2002, the dealers took another step. Working with national experts such as E.D. Hirsch, Jr., they are sponsoring the addition of a new language arts program in Hawaii's schools that will raise students reading scores. This latest effort needs $7 million in funding to become reality, and McKenna said it's necessary to realize yet another lofty goal.
"We've sent more kids to college in the last ten years than Hawaii ever has," McKenna said. "Our goal is to send 75% of our kids to college, right now it's 35% but it's going up."
