The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is world renowned for its celebration of the automobile, but today it is celebrating the generosity of the collector car community. Amid the 2012 competition for automotive elegance, the event raised a banner amount — $1,254,000 — for local charities. The full sum distributed to charity was announced today by Pebble Beach Company CEO William L. Perocchi and Pebble Beach Concours Chairman Sandra Button during a luncheon honoring the charitable partners of the event. Pebble Beach Concours proceeds, generous donations from participants and sponsors, and the efforts of many volunteers all contributed to this sum. “It’s […]
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is world renowned for its celebration of the automobile, but today it is celebrating the generosity of the collector car community. Amid the 2012 competition for automotive elegance, the event raised a banner amount — $1,254,000 — for local charities.
The full sum distributed to charity was announced today by Pebble Beach Company CEO William L. Perocchi and Pebble Beach Concours Chairman Sandra Button during a luncheon honoring the charitable partners of the event. Pebble Beach Concours proceeds, generous donations from participants and sponsors, and the efforts of many volunteers all contributed to this sum.
“It’s amazing what our community can do when everyone works together,” said Button. “The Pebble Beach Concours has been contributing to charity since its beginning, but in recent years the amount being raised has increased dramatically. We’re so glad that in celebrating our passion, we can also help people in need.”
This year marks the seventh year in a row that charitable donations have topped $1 million.
Total charitable donations over the life of the Concours now exceed $16 million. Looking back to the early 1950s, when admission to the races and concours was $1 and the printed program cost 50 cents, organizers were excited to raise a few thousand dollars annually for charity. By the Concours’ 25th anniversary in 1975, charitable donations topped $100,000, and by the mid-1990s over $100,000 was being raised annually. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in charitable donations. The half-million-dollar mark was first surpassed in 2000, and in 2006 donations hit the $1 million mark for the first time. The 2012 Concours marks the 7th year in a row that donations have exceeded the million-dollar mark.
“We are proud to host an event that not only contributes to the international stage, encouraging automotive excellence, but also returns so much to the local community,” said Perocchi. “We thank everyone who plays a role in making this possible, including the charities themselves, who make certain that these charitable funds go where they are needed most.”
Through its primary charitable partner, Pebble Beach Company Foundation, Concours proceeds benefit more than 60 local charities. The Foundation is committed to investing where it can make the most significant impact — in the youth of Monterey County, providing grants to support and enhance educational programs that span the arts, sciences, sports and technology. This year, the Foundation is also providing $100,000 in college scholarships, offering $5,000 to each of 20 local students, and it is working with the Pebble Beach Concours to oversee the scholarship program created to honor racing great Phil Hill and encourage the next generation of automotive enthusiasts.
Additional charities that benefit directly from the Concours include United Way Monterey County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Natividad Medical Foundation, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Kinship Center, Voices for Children (CASA) and Animal Friends Rescue Project.
The 63rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will take place on Sunday, August 18, 2013. Information and tickets are available at www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
