The 2025 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award
We are honored to be nationally recognized by Subaru of America, Inc. for our dedication to our customers, our community, and the Subaru Love Promise.
The 2025 Subaru Love Promise Customer and Community Commitment Award recognizes elite Subaru retailer who provide an exceptional customer experience at every interaction with Subaru. These retailers have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting passions and causes in their local communities in important areas such as environment, community, health, education, and pets.
Here at Subaru, we love our community as much as we love our vehicles and are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of all of our customers and neighbors.
What is the Subaru Love Promise?
The Subaru Love Promise® is our vision to show love and respect to all people at every interaction with Subaru. Subaru and our retailers believe every day gives us an opportunity to positively impact the world around us – by how we support each other, our customers, and our community. Together, we are committed to making the world a better place. \n\n The Love Promise is what makes Subaru More Than a Car Company® and a Subaru retailer More Than a Car Dealer®. It sets a standard that we are committed to living every day. \n\n What is the Subaru Love Promise Community Commitment? \n\n At Subaru, we believe in being a positive force in our community, not just with donations, but with actions that set an example for others to follow. We aim to make the world a better place through several key initiatives that help support and protect people, pets, and our planet:
How is Barstow Subaru dedicated locally to the Love Promise?
Our Love Promise can be seen in various partnerships with local charities and non-profits. We're grateful for the opportunity, not only to be a part of our community, but to serve it as well.
Potsdam Humane Society
Love Promise Stories from Barstow Subaru
Subaru and Barstow Subaru believe in making a positive impact on the communities in which we live and work. We uphold that belief through our Love Promise Community Commitment. Every month, we select inspiring stories from customers and partners from around our area who strive to support our collective commitment and feature them here
AAK Ski Club, Potsdam Middle School - William M
Barstow Subaru is a steady, reliable, and eager supporter of the local community and the AAK Ski Club at Potsdam’s Middle School. We are lucky to be the recipient of another year of donations from Barstow Subaru. The AAK Ski Club is a school based group that emphasizes getting kids outside, physically active, and engaged in the activities our unique region has to offer. We firmly believe kids are able to thrive when they have opportunities to enjoy meaningful experiences in their surrounding communities with friends. The Potsdam community has an especially prominent poverty rate which makes the donations of Barstow Subaru especially impactful. While we call ourselves a ski club, students experience far more than trips to the mountain. Activities from last year include: 1. 5th-8th graders took 5 trips to Titus for the Saturday Night learn to ski program 2. 7th & 8th graders went to Gore Mountain & Mr. Mikes in Lake Placid 3. 5th-8th graders did a Spring trip to Experience Outdoors in Lake Placid and went to Mr. Mikes Pizza for a lunch 4. 5th-8th graders worked hours at the Ski Club Summer Festival Dunk Tank Fundraiser. While many businesses donate to local charities and groups, a visit to Barstow’s over the summer shows how they stand out amongst others. When checking in to deliver a Thank You card from our Ski Club I ran into John. After a quick hello, without hesitation, and a beaming smile on his face, he asked me, "Is it that time of year again?" The time of year when I’d be reaching out to get sponsors for our annual fundraiser. He has made the sometimes uneasy process of fundraising anything but. He is all in on helping the community with Barstow Subaru which extends to the giving culture he has created in his employees as well. This summer I let him know we weren’t getting things together just yet. But then one of his employees reached out to me to check in. Before I had the chance to. This is the hallmark of a steady, reliable and eager supporter of his local community.
Barstow Motors Supports Youth Camp Scholarships - Rena C
Lawrence Avenue Elementary School established a 4H Scholarship Program in 2005 to send underprivileged deserving students from the Potsdam School District to camp every summer. For many years now, Barstow Motors has graciously sponsored a full week’s scholarship fee for one of our local students. Their generous annual donation has allowed one student the opportunity to develop the many academic, social, and leadership skills necessary for healthy living. The 4H Scholarship Committee and our campers cannot express enough our sincere gratitude to the team at Barstow Motors for their continued support in the success of this community youth effort.
Barstow Subaru Supports Women in Engineering - Robert D
Barstow Subaru goes above and beyond in support of women in engineering which was evident at OktoBAJAfest 2025 with over 60 female mechanical engineering students in attendance. For the 5th year in row, Barstow Subaru has sponsored OktoBAJAfest, a Clarkson University organized event, highlighting the hands-on education of college engineering students. OktoBAJAfest is a fall festival pitting 10 engineering universities from the US and Canada against each other with their custom designed and fabricated single seat "Baja" cars. The 3 day event drew 250 engineering students, 75 volunteers and 160 spectators all with the same goal - the hands-on education of future automotive engineers. Thank you Ann and John and your dedicated team at Barstow Subaru!
Barstow Subaru Teams Up to Support Local Community - Karen D
Imagine going without a coat, shoes, or even socks. For millions of children and adults experiencing homelessness and other urgent need situations across the country, even here in Potsdam, this is a harsh reality. Helping others strengthens communities, which is why Barstow Subaru is partnering with Operation Warm®, a national nonprofit focused on connecting children with the resources they need to thrive. Through this partnership and other Subaru Loves to Help® efforts, Subaru and retailers like Barstow Subaru have helped nearly 900,000 children and adults in urgent need. On 01/13/2025, Barstow Subaru donated 120 shoes/socks to St. Lawrence County Community Development Program. These essential items not only help keep children protected, warm, and dry, it can have a significant impact on a child's mental and emotional well-being.
Barstow Motors gives with a 'Heart" - Barbara A
It has been a pleasure for St. Lawrence County Community Development Program to be chosen to take part in the Subaru Loves to Help and Barstow Motors event for a second year. New shoes and socks were donated to our Head Start and Neighborhood Center programs to provide new, comfortable foot attire to families that participate in our programs. The Head Start children were measured for their foot size and provided a new pair of sneakers to take home. They were so excited to parade around in their new shoes, stating that they could run faster, dance better, all thanks to their new shoes. The children and their families appreciate this wonderful gift and want to thank everyone at Subaru and Barstow Motors for their generous donation. One location let the children decide what was the best way to say thank you. They decided that making a heart out of shoes would show how much they appreciate this donation. Thank you, Barstow Motors, for including us in your event for a second year.
Norfolk-Norwood Minor Hockey Association - Kailey H
A huge thank you to Barstow Subaru for their generous donation to Norfolk-Norwood Minor Hockey Association! Your support helps our players thrive on and off of the ice. We're so lucky to have community partners like you cheering us on!
Another Successful Partnership Between Barstow Subaru and Potsdam Humane Society - Sadie M - Sadie M
Barstow Subaru has been a huge community supporter of the Potsdam Humane Society for years. With programs such as the annual Share the Love event and the October 2024 Subaru Loves Pets Month, Barstow Subaru has impacted the lives of hundreds of pets at our shelter and their families. Adopted during Subaru Loves Pets month this year was Sasha, a German Shepherd mix who spent several weeks evading our Animal Control Officers’ attempts to catch her and bring her to safety earlier this year. Sasha finally arrived to the Potsdam Humane Society in April as a stray, but struggled to find a home for several months as she was shy and very high energy. The Subaru event drove additional traffic to both our physical location and our website which contributed to Sasha’s eventual adoption. Sasha’s patient adopters visited the shelter for multiple meet and greets to allow her time to get to know them and develop trust. Once Sasha came out of her shell, we felt safe sending her on her way to her new “furever” home. Sasha’s new dad, Taylor, wrote us on Facebook after she settled into her new home, “She is a perfect dog, I got really lucky.” Community partnerships like the one between Barstow Subaru and the Potsdam Humane Society allow us new ways to connect the community members with our adoptable pets to make adoptions like Sasha’s possible. Thank you- Sadie
William M. AAK Ski Club, Potsdam Middle School - William M
The AAK Ski Club is lucky to be the recipient of another year of donations from Barstow Subaru. The AAK Ski Club at Potsdam's Middle School is a school based group that emphasizes getting kids outside, physically active, and engaged in the activities our unique region has to offer. We firmly believe kids are able to thrive when they have opportunities to enjoy meaningful experiences in their surrounding communities with friends. The Potsdam community has an especially prominent poverty rate which makes the donations of Barstow Subaru especially impactful. While we call ourselves a ski club, students experience far more than trips to the mountain. Last year students took part in: *5th-8th graders took 5 trips to Titus for the Saturday Night learn to ski program *7th & 8th graders went to Gore Mountain & Mr. Mikes in Lake Placid *5th-8th graders did a Spring trip to Experience Outdoors in Lake Placid and went to Mr. Mikes Pizza for a lunch *5th-8th graders worked hours at the Ski Club Summer Festival Dunk Tank Fundraiser Without the generosity of Barstow Subaru these activities would simply not be possible. Thank you! -AAK Ski Club
Barstow Subaru Supports STEM Education in 2024 - Robert D
The team at Barstow Subaru has once again helped shape the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education of hundreds of college engineering students from North Carolina to Quebec. John and Anne have been instrumental in their support of the most unique engineering design competition to come to Northern New York involving 10 Universities. Teams are challenged to design and fabricate an all-terrain vehicle from scratch and bring their project to Parishville, NY at Clarkson Seven Springs to test their designs in 4 racing events. The hands-on education that students receive by doing this is invaluable in preparing them for the workforce and Barstow Subaru plays a major role in making that happen. Thanks so much to John and Anne for their support of this great event!
Barstow Subaru Supports 4H Campers - Rena C
Barstow Subaru has so generously donated to the Lawrence Avenue Elementary School 4H Scholarship Fund for the past several years. Sponsoring a full scholarship each year has allowed one of our Potsdam District students the opportunity to attend this overnight camping facility for one week. At Camp Overlook in Owls Head, NY, students engage in a variety of activities that foster physical and social skills as well as developing leadership and character qualities. After returning from this experience, these students have shown evidence of increased self esteem and confidence in their daily lives We thank Barstow Subaru for their continued support and commitment to investing in the positive growth of our community’s youth. Sincerely, Rena Caruso Natalie Fiacco Emily McCabe Carrie Livernois
