Wagoners live by a simple creed: 'Give more than you take'

When Rich Wagoner ('72) and his wife, Barbara ('72), of Springfield, Ill., aren't busy running their two car dealerships, you can bet they're busy doing something worthwhile for their community.

After graduating from Mississippi State, they moved back to Springfield where Rich went into business with his father at Wagoner Mazda. Last year, he and Barbara purchased the local Dodge dealership, and now they operate both businesses.

Somehow, the couple manages to find time to "give back" to the community, and that seems to be Rich's motto: always give more than you receive.

Recently, when the roof of Little Flower Church got in such bad condition that buckets had to be placed around the altar to catch rainwater, Rich went into action. Using his finely tuned car-dealer skills, Rich appeared in a series of local television ads with Little Flower's pastor, Father Henry Schmidt, promoting a raffle to raise funds for a new roof. The raffle is doing well, and is expected to net about $200,000.

But that's only a drop in the bucket, so to speak, when listing the Wagoners' charitable efforts. He and Barbara and their two children, Joshua and Lacey, serve meals to the needy at Christmas. Rich donates stuffed animals to the hospital, child advocacy centers, hospices, and the Springfield Police Department, so that "kids in stressful situations will have a soft toy to cuddle."

Every month, Rich chooses a different charity to benefit from the Bumpi Bear Basketball Shootout. Every customer who buys a car at one of the dealerships gets to make three free throws, and the Wagoners make a donation to the charity for each basket. At the end of the month, the president of the charity gets 10 shots, and the Wagoners contribute $100 for each ball that goes through the hoop.

Rich also sponsors an annual golf tournament for the Epilepsy Association and an annual diabetes walk-a-thon.

"All businesses should be involved in the community," Rich says with conviction. "I can't ask people to buy a car from us if we're not willing to support our community."