At an event that raised over $20,000 for The Garage Community and Youth Center, a spring fling sponsored by Flagship Credit Acceptance at Hartefeld National on May 20 saw Janet Syphan, a human resources specialist at Flagship, selected as the winner of the $10,000 first prize raffle drawing.

When asked how she would spend the prize, Syphan said, “I’m not sure yet, but I know I’m donating the first thousand to The Garage. They do such incredible work.”

The second prize of $1,500 went to Jeffrey Perez, loan servicing representative at Flagship. Lincoln University resident Mary Teresa Maule Alft won the $500 third place prize.

The Garage plans to use the funds for after school programming, which serves over 500 students and includes homework help and tutoring, a daily academic STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activity, mentor program, boys and girls programs, community service opportunities, Nutrition Kitchen, career exploration, post-secondary counseling and internships.

“We could not do the essential work that we do with at-risk teens without the support of volunteers and financial partners like Flagship, who give selflessly of their time and money to invest in our youth,” said Kristin Proto, executive director of The Garage.

The Spring Fling included games for kids, a bouncy house and vendors, like Cristina Tlaseca from Alliance Realty & Associates, who is an alum of The Garage’s program.

“The Garage opened up opportunities for me,” said Tlaseca. “As a minority, I was faced with restricted opportunities, but The Garage gave me these great opportunities I never thought were possible. It was a safe haven. I wanted to come out and support this event because The Garage was so beneficial to me. I want to make sure other kids have that same opportunity.”

“Events like this exemplify Flagship’s emphasis on serving the communities our customers live and work in,” said Chris Keiser, Flagship's executive vice president and general counsel. “We are so happy to be able to contribute to The Garage’s mission, and we’re looking forward to our continued partnership and making this an annual event.”

Headquartered in Chadds Ford, Flagship Credit Acceptance helps credit challenged auto shoppers secure financing through partnerships with primarily franchised auto dealers and through its direct lending platform, CarFinance.com. Flagship Credit has successfully grown its portfolio to $2.9 billion in managed receivables. The Company currently purchases indirect auto contracts from a nationwide network of over 9,400 dealers and originates direct to consumers in 46 states.