Columbus auto dealers turned a Saturday night of country music into $100,000 for two local causes.

The second annual Columbus Auto Dealers Concert for a Cause, held August 8th at KEMBA Live! Outdoor in Columbus, raised $50,000 for Canine Companions and $50,000 for Charity Newsies.

Chris Young headlined the event alongside Chase Rice, with Trey Pendley joining the lineup. The show was presented by the Central Ohio Honda Dealers in partnership with 92.3 WCOL and iHeartMedia.

And the money had some heartwarming destinations.

Putting $100,000 Into Perspective

Canine Companions provides expertly trained service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities at no charge to recipients. The organization says it costs approximately $50,000 to raise and train each service dog and provide ongoing support to the team.

So, the $50,000 raised at Concert for a Cause is roughly equivalent to the cost of developing and supporting one complete service-dog partnership.

The organization also had a presence during the concert itself. U.S. Army veteran Rob and his service dog, Fritter, were scheduled to join the event for an onstage check presentation, giving attendees a direct connection to the work their tickets were helping fund.

The other half of the money is staying close to home.

Charity Newsies has been providing new school clothing to Franklin County children since 1907, supplying eligible K–12 students with items such as shirts, pants, socks, underwear and cold-weather clothing. The organization says it has served more than 800,000 children over its history.

Demand remains substantial. Charity Newsies capped its 2026–27 Clothe-A-Child program at 18,000 children, reaching that capacity during the summer.

And here's a useful way to look at that $50,000 donation: Charity Newsies estimates that $150 can provide clothing for one child. At that benchmark, the concert's contribution is equivalent to clothing support for roughly 333 Franklin County students.

Dealer Philanthropy, Taken Public

Concert for a Cause grew from a charitable tradition that had previously been tied to the Columbus Auto Show.

When the show paused, Ohio Auto Dealers Association President Zach Doran said dealers still wanted the charitable component to continue. The private gala eventually evolved into a concert open to the broader Columbus community.

Community investment already happens constantly across retail automotive. Food drives. Youth sports. School programs. Local nonprofits. Employee-led fundraising. The challenge is often connecting that work with people outside the dealership.

Concert for a Cause brings dealers, OEM representation, media partners, nonprofits, entertainers and consumers into the same room around something people actually want to attend. The dealership community becomes part of the experience without requiring the evening to feel like an automotive industry event.

What Dealers Can Take from Columbus

The useful part of this model isn't necessarily the concert. It's the structure underneath it.

Dealer organizations pooled resources rather than asking every store to build an event independently. They chose beneficiaries with clear, easily communicated outcomes. They partnered with organizations that already know how to produce and promote large events. And they created something designed for the public first.

There's also a marketing lesson hiding here.

Dealers can be extremely good at communicating inventory, offers and ownership experience while becoming much quieter when the story involves community investment. Doran has previously pointed out that many dealerships tend to step back when discussing their own philanthropic work.

Concert for a Cause provides another approach: make the community part of the work itself.

The result after year two is $100,000 headed back into Central Ohio—half helping provide service dogs and ongoing support to people with disabilities, and half helping Columbus-area children arrive at school with the clothing they need.

For one Saturday night, some of the area's biggest automotive brands shared the marquee with Chris Young and Chase Rice.

The charities walked away with the biggest billing.

▶️ Check out more videos and vlogs about the event here: