Westlie Motor Company Sponsors Military Appreciation Game

For Shelly Adams, Director of Marketing at Westlie Motor Company, there were no second thoughts about supporting the new baseball team coming to town in the spring of 2023. “We called them right away and said that Westlie Motor Company wanted in big to show the community that local businesses were behind the new team.”

That was the first step in Westlie’s becoming a Founding Partner of the Minot Hot Tots. As part of the sponsorship Westlie would get a game night which would be deemed Military Appreciation Night. “It was almost a perfect night,” according to Adams. “It was a sellout crowd; the weather was perfect.” The promotion for the evening was the selling of military-themed jerseys ordered special for Military Appreciation Night.

The Hot Tots used an online app to allow bidding not only from the ballpark, but from people all over. “There was an option to get online and purchase a jersey for $300.00, but once people started bidding that option went away.” Adams, Steve Blasing (Dealer Principle of Westlie Motor Company) and Derek Blasing (GM of Westlie Motor Company) were soon amazed as the bidding started escalating, as did the prices being bid for the jerseys. “The proceeds from the jersey auction were being split between On The Water and the local DAV,” explained Adams. “So we were really happy that the community got behind us and we were able to raise $6,928.00!”

On the Water was represented at the check presentation by founder Chuck Betts. On the Water was founded to thank, honor and serve our U.S. Military Veterans by providing outdoor recreational experiences to the men and women of our armed forces in a peer setting with emphasis on fun and relaxation (and to catch some world class ND Lake Sakakawea Walleye)!
Representing the DAV was Doug Benjamin. The DAV is dedicated to a single purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. The DAV accomplishes this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. 100% of all funds that were presented to DAV Chapter 4 will stay local to help area veterans.

At the June 23rd game, first pitches were thrown out by Chuck Betts and Westlie’s General Sales Manager Jason Henke, colors were presented by the Minot AFB color guard, and there was a special presentation by the Minot AFB K9 unit. “It really was a fun night,” according to Adams. “We certainly raised way more than I expected, but that shows the support that we have in our community for our military,” said Adams.