Throughout this past June and July, Shively Motors of Shippensburg and Chambersburg partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County for their annual promotion to benefit low to moderate income families with the fundraiser, Keys for a Cause. Shively Motors is a family-owned car dealership that has been operating since 1939. This dealership is in fact one of the oldest Dodge dealerships still in business and, unlike most dealerships today, they are even locally managed!

Their fundraiser partner, Habitat for Humanity, specializes in aiding citizens in sub-standard living conditions that benefit from the zero-interest home loans the program offers. Not only does Habitat for Humanity in Franklin County help these families by assisting to build homes, but they reestablish communities with dignity, providing hope for the future to come. With over 30 years in business since 1994, the Franklin County chapter has finished over sixty-one houses mainly in Chambersburg, serving upwards of 220 individuals thus far. As a direct effect, Habitat volunteers have spent approximately 10,128 hours building and maintaining homes within the community.

Keys for a Cause is a promotional campaign that for every car sold in the month of June, the company donated $100 to Habitat for Humanity. This year, however, the fundraiser was extended for an extra 2 weeks into July until the 15th. Any and all cars were eligible for promotion no matter the vehicle type, model, year, or state! Overall, the promotion sold over 75 cars for Habitat for Humanity.

The year 2025 marks a period of substantial change for the Franklin County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity as their previous floating idea of buying and building homes on a plot of land has become a reality. Proposed in 2023, the program has been diligently planning and projecting infrastructure costs before purchasing the land to continue their mission. Now, the 25.5 acre plot of land that seemed like a fantasy before is now called EdenView with rolling hills and vast grenery. This land in the Hamilton Township has the ability to accommodate 71 new homes for lower income families from Franklin County to reside in. Not every home in EdenView will be built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers, but every family in the area will be provided with a diverse and new beginning.

In an interview with 92.1 The GOAT, Bryan Burkholder from Shively Motors and Mark Story from Habitat for Humanity spoke in depth about the details of the Keys for a Cause partnership. The pair have known each other for many years and love the opportunity for both groups to work together. Both Burkholder and Story have worked in Chambersburg for numerous years, watching the Borough’s decline and growth. They state that the most important piece of a community is giving back to it. Towards the latter half of the interview, Story remarked with a heart-felt reflection of the partnership, “generosity is a sweet thing. There are some challenges in our community but when we come together these are fixable.” In the future, Burkholder is “proud to be able to sponsor them [Habitat for Humanity in Franklin County] and help our community.”