The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill serves approximately 2,000 families every year as children from across the state are receiving treatment at UNC Hospitals.

Those families staying at the home will now have an easier way to get about Chapel Hill. As part of a nationwide “Cool Cars” initiative, GM Financial presented a Buick SUV to the Chapel Hill house on Friday.

It was the 15th of 30 cars set to be delivered this year, according to GM Financial controller and chief accounting officer Connie Coffey.

“Serving the communities in which we work has always been very important to our entire employee base,” Coffey said at the presentation ceremony on Friday where she was part of a GM Financial delegation on hand at the Chapel Hill Ronald McDonald House. Coffey said they will be working to expand the program in the coming years.

“It’s made to be sustainable,” she said. “GM Financial has cars coming off-lease. You guys need cars at Ronald McDonald Houses. So it felt like a natural fit.”

Coffey said they would be rounding out the vehicle presentations to the North Carolina Ronald McDonald House locations in a few weeks.

Retiring Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill executive director Shelley Day said that this vehicle would be a great benefit to the families at the house.

“We are just absolutely thrilled to have this vehicle here in Chapel Hill,” Day said. “We serve all 100 counties of North Carolina, so a lot of families come here and they have no transportation. So, this will be huge.”

Officials said they would be working through the kinks and logistics of finding the most effective ways to use the car in the future.

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