Valley Automobile Dealers Reward $50,000 in Scholarships to Students

Date of Announcement: Thursday, July 18, 2024

Time & Place of Announcement: 12:45 p.m. at Embassy Suites at McAllen Convention Center

The Valley Automobile Dealers Association (VADA) and its board members are pleased to announce they are rewarding $50,000 total in scholarships to 36 recipients of the VADA Scholarship Fund for the 2024-2025 academic year. The recipients will be recognized on Thursday, July 18 at the VADA Annual Luncheon to be held at Embassy Suites at McAllen Convention Center, following a business meeting with keynote speaker Dr. Guy Bailey, President of UTRGV. These students will each receive a scholarship ranging from $500 - $4,000. Since the VADA Scholarship Fund was established in 2017, VADA has rewarded $298,000 in scholarships, all due to the support from the annual VADA Sporting Clay Shoot and the Jon Buquet Memorial Golf Tournament. The dealers and all VADA’s Associate Members remain dedicated to continued education for students in the Rio Grande Valley.

“Dealership employees are some of the most hardworking and committed professionals in this community,” said Jacob Boggus, General Manager of Sames Ford Harlingen. “Since they give so much to this industry, we hope that these scholarship help ease the financial burden of providing their children access to higher education.”

VADA Executive Director Lexi Buquet added that the employees are a critical part of the car business. “The auto industry is continuously evolving, experiencing new challenges as new products and innovations hit the market,” Buquet said. “It is due to the commitment of dealership employees that RGV customers receive the best products and service, no matter what.”

“Collectively, the franchise dealers have nearly 3,000 employees across the Rio Grande Valley and represent a significant percentage of retail sales, contributing largely to the economy in sales taxes and licensing fees,” added Buquet.