Fred Beans Family of Dealerships Participates in EITC Program

Doylestown, Pa. – The Fred Beans Family of Dealerships, through its involvement in the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, has contributed $250,000 to local organizations that provide scholarship or educational improvement.

Under the program, benefitting organizations must have 501 (c) 3 status under the Internal Revenue code. If the organization provides scholarships, it must contribute at least 80 percent of the funds from the EITC to a scholarship program for any public or non-public Kindergarten, elementary or secondary school that meets state guidelines. Organizations providing educational improvement also must be a non-profit and contribute at least 80 percent of its annual EITC funds as grants to a public, charter or private school to carry out innovative educational programs, or to do so in conjunction with public schools.

“We are proud to participate in the EITC program once again and help support the educational experiences of children in our area,” said Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of the Fred Beans Family of Dealerships. “My father, Fred Beans, deeply values education and the role it plays in helping individuals grow and achieve success. We know that the organizations benefitting from the EITC program will reach a diverse group of learners in our region and provide them with memorable and meaningful experiences.”

Companies participating in the EITC program can select the recipient organizations for their contributions. The Fred Beans Family of Dealerships contributed to 10 organizations in 2018 to support programming implemented in 2019. Included among these organizations are eight past recipients:

• Bucks County Free Library – $20,000 for children’s summer programs
• CB Cares Educational Foundation – $50,000 to provide programs, initiatives and grants to benefit and strengthen the Central Bucks community, including the Boomerang Youth Recognition Award, the Backpack Newsflash, the Youth to Community (Y2C) Arts Program, the five-part Parent Positive Speaker Series and Innovative Learning Grants
• Hepatitis B – $30,000 for a two-week high school science enrichment program for talented high school students interested in learning about research, biotechnology and public health in the context of hepatitis B and liver cancer
• American Red Cross – $25,000 to primarily support Camp Save a Life, which provides youth ages 10-14 with the opportunity to learn valuable disaster preparedness techniques and leadership skills, and Red Cross Clubs, which engage students in area schools to serve as peer leaders and educators. Presentations and projects address disaster preparedness, CPR and first aid, HIV/AIDS and STI prevention and tackling school violence and bullying through Exploring Humanitarian Law
• Bucks County Historical Society – $25,000 to help fund the art mobile
• Council Rock Education Foundation – $30,000 to support innovative projects for students from K-12 throughout the district
• Bucks County Community College – $25,000 for numerous student-based programs, including the K-12 growing program
• YMCA – $15,000 to support after-school care programs and STEM camps for children from families with low to moderate incomes

The Fred Beans Family of Dealerships targeted two new organizations in 2018: the Pennsbury Society and the Audubon Society.

The Pennsbury Society received $15,000 to help fund student field trips. The organization will use the funding to invite even more children to explore Pennsbury Manor, the home of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn. More than 20,000 students visit Pennsbury Manor each year.

“I am excited to support Pennsbury Manor this year,” said Fred Beans, founder of the Fred Beans Family of Dealerships. “I was raised in a Quaker family, so it is important to me to help children understand the achievements and, most important, the values of William Penn.”

The Audubon Society also received $15,000 to help fund its educational program on the impact of climate change in birds. Students from Central and Lower Bucks school districts, as well as those in Solebury Township and New Hope, participate in the program. The Audubon Society also is hoping to broaden its reach with an additional program, currently under review.

The Fred Beans Family of Dealerships has participated in the EITC program annually since 2011, contributing $250,000 in each of the last eight years for a total contribution to the community of $2 million.

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Photo Captions:

BC Audubon Society – Pictured from left to right are Stacy Carr-Poole, executive director of the Bucks County Audubon Society; Heidi Shiver, president of the Audubon Society Board; Fred Beans, founder of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships; Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships; and Marissa Jacobs, program coordinator for the Audubon Society.

CB Cares – Pictured from left to right are Kimberly Cambra, executive director of CB Cares Educational Foundation; Fred Beans, founder of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships; and Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships.

Pennsbury Society – Pictured from left to right are Douglas A. Miller, site administrator for the Pennsbury Society; Fred Beans, founder of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships; Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of Fred Beans Family of Dealerships; and Ron E. Schmid, board chairman of the Pennsbury Society.