Community Involvement
Community involvement is something that is very near and dear to all of us at Toyota of New Bern. We want to be involved with our community and to do our part to make it a better place because we believe that we are all one big family!
2022/23 Teacher of the Year - May 2023
The Toyota of New Bern family would congratulate Nardi Routeen who was selected as the 2022 - 2023 Craven County Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Routeen is a teacher at Creekside Elementary and was awarded the keys to a 2023 Toyota Camry to drive for the next year!
Partners in Education - Technology Grant- February 2022
Partners In Education (PIE) is pleased to partner with Toyota of New Bern to offer a technology grant of $3,000 to our Craven County Schools’ principals to create a dynamic learning environment with the goal of equipping our students with the 21st Century skills necessary for post-secondary education and/or workforce readiness. The awarding for the 2021-2022 Toyota of New Bern Tech Grant went to Melissa Thompson, principal, with Kaylee Kramer and Heather Santos at Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, for their grant, “Lights! Camera! Action! With AWEsome Announcements.” Thank you to Paul McDonald and Nathan Rhodes and the staff at Toyota of New Bern for providing the funding for this grant, and to the staff at Arthur W. Edwards Elementary for providing a technology-rich learning environment. Pictured are Ms. Thompson, Ms. Kramer, and Ms. Santos! If you would like to learn how your organization can make a difference through Craven County Schools’ local education foundation, PIE, contact Darlene Brown, Executive Director, at 514-6321
2021/22 Teacher of the Year - May 2021
The Toyota of New Bern family would like to send out a big congratulations to Arnita Morris who was selected as the 2021 - 2022 Craven County Teacher of the Year. Ms. Morris, a 8th grade math teacher at HJ MacDonald communicates the importance of education through her actions in the classroom and in the community. She cultivates relationships with parents and students by allowing them to see to her heart. Ms. Morris is passionate about creating an equitable space for all students. So, make sure to wave and show your appreciation for this lovely lady!
Adopt a Family 2020 - The Foskey Family
The Foskey family endured a lot during 2020 like all of us but when their apartment burned down in October they were left with nothing. It was our pleasure to provide them with many essentials as well as a few extra goodies. Thank you to all of those who sent in nominations, being able to give back to our community is what its all about.
January 2020 - Teacher of the Month
January 2020 - Partners in Education of Craven County Techology Grant
January 2020 - Brinson Memorial Elementary Donation
December 2019 Teacher of the Month
2019 New Year's Celebration
Adopt a Family 2019
2019 PIE Excellence Award
2019 Teacher of the Year
New Bern High School Cheer Camp
New Bern High School 2019 Technology Grant
Christmas 2018
"This four-year-old is battling cancer. I asked her what would she like for Christmas. She said she would like to bring presents to all the other kids at the cancer center. This little girl is inspiring. I pray for her every day. So I teamed up with my employees at Toyota of New Bern and we got this little girl and her family Christmas presents and much more. The smile on her face gave me my best present this year and it can’t be beat. She has an excuse to wear a frown and walk around feeling sad for herself but not this girl! She has a smile that would light up the dark. I’m so blessed I was able to be apart of lifting this family up. Oh and of course I gave her a little bit of cash to go buy those presents for her friends at the cancer center. Thank you God for putting me in her life and I’m excited to see you put your hands on her and heal her through this battle. Please say some prayers for her as she goes through this battle.
Merry Xmas everyone!" - Paul E Mcdonald
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain - August 2018
It was our pleasure to make a donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain to help support their efforts of working with young people in our community. They are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as responsible, productive and caring citizens. We will also be participating in the Autumn Affair on September 22, 2018 at the New Bern Farmer's Market for a fundraising event. Click here for more details.
Teacher of the Year Winner - May 2018
Introducing Craven County’s Teacher of the Year, Katy Chadwick from JW Smith Elementary School. It was a pleasure to partner with Craven County Partners in Education to provide Mrs. Chadwick a new 2018 Toyota Camry to drive for the next year. Congratulations Katy and all of the other outstanding finalists who were nominated. Your hard work and dedication to your students and schools is very much appreciated!
New Bern High School Donations - March 2018
Making sure the youth of today have all the things they need to grow and develop into mature, well rounded adults is vitally important to everyone. To help do our part, Toyota of New Bern made sure that the New Bern High School football team had a new weight room, the baseball team had a new pitching machine and the Cheerleaders got new uniforms and get to attend Cheer Camp at UNC. Go Bears!!
Van Giveaway March 2018
Mrs. Darline’s pickup recently blew up. She is someone who gives real meaning to the the term, “Good Samaritan.” Not only is she actively involved in her church and the kids program there, but she dedicates her time to transport several children as well. After hearing about her troubles, Paul McDonald and Latitude Church in New Bern teamed up again to make sure she can continue to provide her important service to the New Bern community and gave her a new van!
Adopt a Family - Christmas 2017
At Toyota of New Bern we strongly believe because you have two hands, you use one to help yourself and the other to help others. This year we wanted to make sure we could give one family a Christmas to remember. We asked for members of our community to nominate families in need. After reviewing our submissions and narrowing it down to three families; we decided we couldn't just help one, we needed to help all three! Our three families consisted of 3 single mothers and 8 children / teens. All three families live in the New Bern / Havelock area. It truly was an honor to giveback and we look forward to doing it again next Christmas.
Yota the Bear Unveiling
We are so excited to share Yota with the community of New Bern! Yota the Bear was created by Cowpainters LLC of Chicago, Ill. They are the creators of all the bears around New Bern. Yota was the brought to life by Artist Kane Bess. It took a total 8 weeks to create and ship Yota to us and Kane another 6 days to paint him. We partnered with The New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce to have an official ribbon cutting / welcoming party for Yota. When you are in the area be sure to stop by and snap a pic with our very own Yota the Bear!
Van Giveaway 2017
Mrs. Edna came in having trouble with her van and the cost to repair it was going to be more than the her van was worth. She does so much for her family and has even adopted her 5 grandchildren so we had the pleasure of surprising her by giving her a gently loved van in October of 2017.
2017 New Bern & Havelock Girls Softball Team
Toyota of New Bern was proud to sponsor various girls softball teams from New Bern and Havelock for the 2017 season. Our General Manager, was even one of the head coaches of the Havelock 8U team! All the teams should be very proud of themselves for their performances! In their districts the New Bern 8U All-Stars were ranked #1 and Havelock 8U All-Stars #3 and both teams were invited to the State Championship Tournament where the Havelock 8U team finished 5th and the New Bern 8U team finished 6th. The Havelock 10U team won their district All-Star tournament and was invited to play in the state tournament! Congrats girls, we are all proud of you!
Feb 2017 Teacher of the Month
Congratulations to Ms. Barringer for winning our February Teacher of the Month Contest!!! Ms. Barringer is a 1st grade teacher at White Oak Elementary School in Cape Carteret. She is an exceptional and caring educator who deserves the $250 gift cards. Thank you, Ms. Barringer, for how you nurture and educate our future and thank you all for supporting your local teachers! We hope that our small token of appreciation helps. Email your entries to toyotaofnewberncontest@gmail.com and let's support our teachers!!!
Jan 2017 Teacher of the Month
Congratulations to Mr. Angoco of Arthur W. Edwards Elementary School for winning our Teacher of the Month Contest!!! Mr Angoco's dedication and selfless instruction as the Music and Choir Teacher have brought smiles to the lives of many. Thank you so much from Toyota of New Bern and your community!! We hope that the $250 gift card helps your continued commitment to our youth. Next contest begins tomorrow so email your entries to toyotaofnewberncontest@gmail.com and let's support our teachers!!! #NewBern #Havelock #Kinston #MoreheadCity #jacksonvillenc #ENCStrong
Dec 2016 #ChristmasUnderWraps Partnership with Latitude Church
On Christmas Day 2016 we teamed with with Latitude Church in New Bern for their #christmasunderwraps event to give one of their parishioners a vehicle. Sixta Chance and her family were recommended by the congregation as deserving of the gift and we were so honored to be able to help. She was gifted a 2002 Ford Taurus and we hope it will help make her families lives much easier and more convenient.
Mumfest 2016 Title Sponsorship
MumFest 2016 was a wonderful weekend in downtown New Bern and we were so happy to be a Title Sponsor for the festival. Although Hurricane Matthew caused the event to be delayed we were fortunate that most of New Bern was spared from the worst of the storm.
Every year MumFest is a combination of family fun, entertainment, attractions, exhibitors, and great food all right in downtown New Bern. Mumfest is one of the finest award winning festivals in the state which is why so many people come every year. We look forward to Mumfest 2017 and hope to see you there too!
Click here to learn more about MumFest
BikeMS: Historic New Bern 2016 Sponsorship
Toyota of New Bern has a been a proud sponsor of the Bike MS: Historic New Bern ride for many years and 2016 was no different. We look forward to doing it again in 2017!
Bike MS: Historic New Bern is an annual two-day fundraising cycling event that takes riders through the beautiful countryside of eastern North Carolina. Each day the ride begins in downtown New Bern at Union Point Park. There are fully-stocked rest stops every 10-15 miles, lunch each day and on-route medical support.
In 2016 fundraising participants raised $1,700,000.00 to help fund MS research and critical programs for people living with MS. During the 2016 Bike MS: Historic New Bern ride over 200,000 miles were pedaled!
The 2017 Bike MS: Historic New Bern ride will take place on September 9th and 10th. Click here to find out how you can help this year!
Questions about how you can get involved?