Bantam Gives Back
In 2016 the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association started a Financial Gift Program. In 2021, one of the program gifts helped save a life.
The association donated $1,000 to the Prospect Borough and Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department through its financial gift program. The fire department combined the gift with other funds to purchase a utility terrain vehicle. The vehicle provided the firefighters with the ability to fight wildfires and complete water rescue missions.
In 2022, a woman and her two dogs were rescued from high water conditions by the vehicle, which was able to access her location and remove her from the dangerous waters.
Spencer Rea, a volunteer firefighter for the department, knows the impact of the donation from the association.
“This has benefited us in so many ways,” Rea said. “The gift could be used for whatever we needed and we were so excited to get it. Our UTV has been in service since January and has already saved a life. It is so nice to see Bantam giving back to organizations like us. It is not something you see these days.”
The Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival has given over $200,000 since 2016, including donations to nonprofit groups that help execute the festival. Each year after the festival, 501c3 nonprofit organizations in Butler County are able to submit an online application to fund projects or services they provide in the community. Dozens of organizations have been supported since the Financial Gifts Program began.
“While the festival is an amazing experience and everyone who works so hard on it is so proud of our accomplishment, what really makes me happy is our financial gift program,” said Todd Wagner, president of the Friends of the Bantam Jeep Association. “It’s one thing to put smiles on peoples faces while they are having fun in their Jeep, but it’s another to truly have an impact in the lives of so many people in Butler County.”
