CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — President of Tiger Fuel Gordon Sutton believes in the importance of supporting the community that has supported his company. That’s why the locally owned fuel company has committed to making a large donation every Holiday season to benefit the local community.

“We used to do the classic hams and chocolates and gift baskets and things like that,” Sutton told Cville Right Now.
”We just realized we thought it would be a lot more meaningful if we could do something that would give back to the community.”

This year’s recipient is Camp Holiday Trails, a local nonprofit organization that provides year-round camp experiences for children with medical needs. Executive Director Tina LaRoche was on hand at Tiger Fuel’s headquarters on Tuesday.

“It means a lot to our communities and our organization that a company like Tiger Fuel really puts, kind of walks the talk and says, ‘We do you want to give back. We want to improve our communities. We want to improve the quality of life for our families and our kids,'” she said, “and to us, this really, really kind of cements that as part of their vision, and then, of course, helps us as well.”

Camp Holiday Trails was selected for the donation among a number of organizations by a committee of Tiger Fuel employees, and Sutton said there is a “kind of a waiting list.” He added that the company had wanted to give back to Camp Holiday Trails for a several years.

“There are a lot of really worthy causes,” he said. “The hardest thing is saying no.”

Aside from the company’s admiration for their work, giving back to the camp is also special for Sutton, as his sister serves on the organization’s board.

“It’s a really special place that I think is tucked away, well, I know is tucked away and maybe those not directly involved in their core mission might not know about,” he said, “but it’s a really cool thing that’s been going on in this community for a long time.”

LaRoche said the donation will help the camp keep its fees for campers affordable. Last year, the organization made the decision to charge just $100 for each camper, despite the fact the true cost for every camper was $2000 each.

“Every time we say yes to a child, we have to make up $1,900,” she said. “So this gift from Tiger Fuel helps us really stick with that very affordable, accessible fee, which is really our goal, and help us make up the difference.”

As for where the money came from, Sutton said each donation is coming directly from Tiger Fuel’s revenue. He believes making these donations will continue to impact the company in the long run.

“The more you give, the more you get,” he said, “and I feel like our team just feels really good about working for a company that does so much to give back to the community and it makes it easier for us to attract the kind of people that we want to attract to work here.”