Here at Houska Automotive, the holiday season is our absolute favorite time of year. While we love the joyful festivities and time with friends and family, we particularly love getting a chance to reflect on what we are thankful for. We consider ourselves deeply privileged to live in such a beautiful place, surrounded by such a wonderful community. The more we reflect on the incredible gifts we have been blessed with over the past 70 years, the more we are reminded of how much we love to turn around and give those gifts back to the community.
We believe with all our hearts that we have been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. It’s no secret that the Houska team is all about community involvement and giving back – in fact, we just had the privilege of hosting our annual community blood drive, which – thanks to you – will help to save countless lives right here in Northern Colorado.
For those of you who have been around a long time, you may know that bone marrow donation is another cause that is near and dear to our hearts. Join us on a walk down memory lane, as we look back on Houska Automotive’s involvement in bone marrow donation in our community.
Dennis Houska, the second-generation owner of Houska Automotive, began donating blood in 1978 when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Dennis and his wife, Noreen, have both lost parents to battles with cancer; following this, the Houskas chose to get on the bone marrow registry.
In 1995, Dennis was called on to donate his bone marrow. The recipient was an eight-year-old boy with leukemia, who, thanks to Dennis’ generosity – and the skills of his healthcare providers – has been healthy and cancer-free for over 25 years! Such a blessing for all involved.
Since that bone marrow donation in 1995, the Houskas have been working tirelessly to raise money – and awareness – for the fight against cancer. Dennis has been a volunteer bone marrow courier several times, and has taken days at a time out of his busy schedule to help transport life-saving bone marrow across the country for those in need. He also sat on the Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation Board for many years, and the Houska family continues to host events to raise money and supplies for the UC Health Family Medicine Center Food Pantry, Garth Englund Blood Center, and more!
We truly do consider it a privilege that we, as a family and as a business, have been given so many opportunities to make a difference in our community. We hope that this holiday season, you will join us in looking around and giving thanks for the gifts that you have been given – and then, turning around and using those gifts to bless someone else.