Raiderthon event in Lubbock tugs at heartstrings of Love's 589 GM

A father approached Love's 589 General Manager Chris Crowley at the recent Dance Marathon event at Texas Tech University in Lubbock on February 6 and shook his hand.

"It was just to tell me how much he appreciated what we are doing," Crowley said.

And what we're doing is partnering with Dance Marathon, a program that benefits Children's Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide. Love's has pledged contributions to 27 Dance Marathons to be held at college campuses across the southern Plains and Southeast. The season kicked off the first week of February with events at Tarleton State University, Auburn University and Texas Tech.

The man's gratitude spoke to Crowley not only in terms of his association with Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores but also because he's a father himself. Chris has four kids: three boys who are 14, 11 and 9 years old and a girl who is six.

"My daughter was born seven weeks early and only weighed 3 pounds, 6 ounces. We stayed in the hospital for four weeks trying to get her big enough to come home, so I can really relate to the families we hear about who benefit from Children's Miracle Network Hospitals across the country," he said. "Being part of this campaign, for me, gives me a sense of giving back to families that have to go through anything like this with their kids."

That father's 'thank you' confirmed Crowley's hunch.

"You could just see in his eyes the gratitude he had, and I knew I was part of something that helped his family," he said.

More than 200 students participated at Texas Tech's Dance Marathon event, and we're grateful to all of them for their fundraising efforts. Being a part of and giving back to the communities where our travel stops and country stores operate is a passion for us at Love's, and an event like Dance Marathon says a lot about our culture, Crowley noted.

"The culture at Love's is very family-oriented, and that carries over into this type of event. After seeing firsthand what the students were doing and the effort they put into raising money, it really sank in the effect we have as a company on this event," he said. "The students made sure to show me what they were able to do because of our sponsorship, too. They did a great job with the event."

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