Leisureland RV Center of Boise, Idaho recently partnered with Idaho auction house Musick Auction to help three local charities by auctioning off a classic 1992 Flair Motorhome.
The Gift of Adventure Charity Event, which ran from Sept. 22-Oct. 13, came about in a rather unusual way. John DeHoff, dealer principal with Leisureland, recalls how it all started.
“It’s a really interesting story. I was in the sales office one day, and a gentleman by the name of Michael McHale walked in the door and said, ‘Would you like a free motorhome?’ I thought to myself, ‘that’s kind of an unusual request,’ but I said, ‘OK, what do you mean?’” DeHoff recalled.
“It turns out that he was a cancer survivor and had been going down to Mexico for treatments for years. He was moving to Mexico permanently and planned to leave the following day. He said, ‘I forgot this motorhome was in storage and I need to get rid of it today.’ I reluctantly agreed to go and take a look at this motorhome with him.
“It turned out that the Fleetwood Flair was a true barn find; a time capsule underneath all the dust, but still, I could tell it was a really clean, older piece. The tires were cracked, and the motorhome looked like it hadn’t been moved in years. So, Michael asked if we’d be interested in selling it and maybe buying the company some lunch. I told him, ‘This thing is worth a lot more than lunch. I’d like to get this motorhome back to our dealership, get it cleaned up, running, and then auction it off for charity. You donated it, and it’s just a way of paying it forward.’”
McHale’s charity of choice, the Idaho Food Bank, was one of three recipients of the donation.
John and Carina DeHoff didn’t have to look far for companies willing to help bring the classic coach back to its prime. Mike’s Boise Clutch and Automotive donated time and service toward restoration, as did JJ’s Carpet Cleaning and Advanced Mobile Detail. Local radio stations Iliad Media Group and 101.9 The Bull and the Lotus Boise Corp. donated radio airtime to help promote the charity auction, and Musick Auction handled the auction itself and waived all buyer fees.
Bill Fifer was the winning bidder for the motorhome and the money raised was split between three charities: Idaho Food bank; the Wyakin Foundation, chosen by Fifer, a Vietnam vet who served in the U.S. Army; and the Lake Lowell Animal Rescue, which was chosen by public voting on Leisureland’s social media channels.
