McPherson Revs Up School Plan

When last heard of, auto dealer Joe McPherson had closed down his school donation program after his chain of dealerships forked over a total of $362,350 to hundreds of Orange County public and private schools.

But McPherson, whose Tustin and Irvine dealerships were ponying up $50 for each new car sold and letting car buyers designate the school and even the specific program to receive the money, has had second thoughts. The program has been reinstated and McPherson says the goal now is to raise $1 million.

It’s an ambitious program that certainly is engendering a ton of goodwill toward McPherson within the school system, but the dealer says he’s not sure it will pay off with a substantial increase in the number of cars his franchises sell.

Still, McPherson says he’s in this out of conviction and would like to see other businesses do something similar. “The schools still need our help,” he said.