Q: What is the partnership between Lynch Burlington and Tyson Fettes for community initiatives?

Interviewer: Tyson, thanks for sitting down with us. Let's start with the foundation. How did this alignment between you and Lynch Chevrolet GMC of Burlington begin, and what does the partnership look like operationally?

Tyson Fettes: It's a pleasure to share our story. My journey with Lynch started exactly seven years ago, and from day one our core values lined up. In the automotive industry it's easy to focus strictly on sales numbers, floor traffic, and inventory turn. But when I stepped into my role, the leadership team made it clear that our success as a dealership is tied to the health and prosperity of Burlington, Browns Lake, and Rochester. They didn't want a standard corporate marketer. They wanted someone to plant deep roots and build a bridge between our business and our neighbors.

Tyson Fettes: Operationally, the partnership runs on trust and creative freedom. Because leadership has backed the vision from the start, we've been able to treat philanthropy as a core function rather than a quarterly checklist item. We pool our facility, our marketing reach, and our financial capacity to serve as a platform for local initiatives.

We've also worked to make sure our efforts aren't limited to writing checks. We're on the ground setting up tents, organizing parking, and handling logistics for local drives. Whether we're planning outreach or organizing volunteer teams, this is a unified effort to show customers we care about their lives long after they drive off our lot.

Q: How do Lynch Burlington and Tyson Fettes decide which community causes to support?

Interviewer: With so many worthy organizations across southeastern Wisconsin, a fair decision-making framework is critical. Tyson walks through the priorities that guide those choices and explains how community members can bring their own initiatives to the dealership.

Q: How does Lynch participate in the Guardians of the Children car and bike show?

Interviewer: One of the most anticipated events on the local calendar arrives every May, when the Guardians of the Children car and bike show fills the dealership lot. Can you walk us through it and explain how it works as a community engine?

Tyson Fettes: The Wheels Against Child Abuse Car and Bike Show is the anchor of our community calendar, and I want to be clear about who owns it. The event belongs to the Belle City Chapter of Guardians of the Children. They organize it, they run it, and the proceeds support their mission. Our role is to host.

Tyson Fettes: What we bring is space and logistics. The show reached its ninth year in May 2025, and moving it to our lot gave it room for more cars and bikes than it had before. It's a classic car and motorcycle show at heart, with live music, a big raffle table, and activities for kids. Attendees vote on their favorite car, favorite truck, and favorite motorcycle. Burlington's Lions Club works the beer tent, and we added a vendor lot so more local businesses could take part.

That's the part I'd point to for anyone wondering what a dealership can actually contribute. We have acres of pavement and a team that knows how to run traffic and parking. Handing that over to an organization doing this kind of work costs us a Saturday and gives them a venue they couldn't otherwise afford.

Q: Which local organizations benefit from the Lynch Burlington community events?

Interviewer: To give readers a concrete idea of where support goes, can you highlight some of the specific local organizations and civic programs involved?

Tyson Fettes: Absolutely, and the emphasis is on local. The organizations we work with serve the immediate area of Burlington, Browns Lake, and Rochester.

Love, Inc. is one of our most prominent partners. It's a 501(c)(3) founded in 1984 and headquartered right here in Burlington, and it serves disadvantaged families and individuals across western Racine County. Its food pantry provides about a week of groceries once a month to households that meet state income guidelines, and it runs a rental assistance program, a medical equipment lending program, and a Christmas program that reaches roughly 900 children a year. When you support an event on our lot, that's the kind of work you're backing.

We also support the Burlington Historical Society. It was established in February 1928 as the first historical society in Racine County, and it's run entirely by volunteers. Alongside its museum on North Perkins Boulevard, the Society maintains the Pioneer Log Cabin in Wehmhoff Square and the 1840 Whitman School. Helping preserve that record matters in a city with this much history.

On the youth sports side, we support the Burlington Youth Football Program, a division of the Youth Sports Foundation, which runs tackle football for third through sixth graders in the Burlington school area with full equipment provided. Keeping registration and equipment costs within reach for every family is the whole point.

Q: Are donations to the Lynch Burlington charitable initiatives tax-deductible?

Interviewer: Many donors and business sponsors want to understand the structure behind these efforts. Are contributions tax-deductible?

Tyson Fettes: It's an important question, and we take the stewardship of our community's money seriously. We don't process public donations through the dealership's accounts. Public sponsorships, raffle purchases, and event donations go to our registered 501(c)(3) partners directly, and those organizations issue the receipts.

Both of the partners we've discussed hold that status. Guardians of the Children Belle City Chapter is a 501(c)(3), and so is Love, Inc. Because the receiving organization is the charity rather than the dealership, donors get their documentation from the nonprofit itself. For anything specific to your own tax situation, talk to your accountant. We're a car dealership, not a tax advisor.

Q: How do local businesses and regional partners collaborate on these outreach programs?

Interviewer: Community impact is rarely a solo endeavor. How do other local businesses work with Lynch, and what advice do you have for owners who want to get involved?

Tyson Fettes: Collaboration is the whole game. No single business solves community challenges alone. Over the years we've built a genuine ecosystem here, working with local print shops for event signage, local restaurants to feed volunteers, and regional media to amplify reach. Pooling resources multiplies what any one of us could do.

If you're a local business owner who wants to partner with us, come find us at 2300 Browns Lake Drive. We'll get a coffee and talk about how to line up our community budgets for the most local impact.

Tyson Fettes: We also welcome co-branded community drives, like holiday toy collections or school supply drives, where we serve as a central drop-off hub for several businesses at once. When local businesses stand together, the whole community feels it.

Q: What is the long-term vision for Lynch Burlington's community efforts?

Interviewer: You've spent years shaping these programs. What's the long-term vision for community engagement in Burlington and the surrounding area?

Tyson Fettes: Sustainable growth and deeper roots in the communities around Browns Lake and Rochester. We're proud of what we've built, but we're not resting on it. We want to design event concepts that address emerging needs, particularly around digital literacy, trade school education, and mental health support for young people.

We also want our physical footprint to do more work. Picture local nonprofits using our conference rooms for board meetings, or student groups running car wash fundraisers in our service bays. Turning the building into a year-round community resource lets us support local organizations without needing a large event budget every time.

Trade careers are part of that too. Our service department runs on GM World Class and Master Technicians across twenty active bays, and we'd rather train the next generation here than watch them leave the area. Students interested in that path can apply as a service technician and start with us.

Q: How can residents of Burlington, Browns Lake, and Rochester get involved?

Interviewer: For residents who feel inspired to act, what are the practical first steps to participate as attendees, sponsors, or volunteers?

Tyson Fettes: Getting involved is straightforward, and we welcome everyone. If you represent an organization looking for support, the sponsorship request form is the front door. It's a real form, not a black hole, and it's worth understanding how it works.

Lynch Family of Dealerships contributes thousands of dollars to community programs every year, and we say plainly on that form that it's fiscally impossible to honor every request we receive. We do our best for local people and local events, with particular attention to those who shop locally and support our business. Here's what the form asks for:

1. 1Choose the location. Seven Lynch rooftops are listed. Select Lynch GM Superstore for anything in the Burlington area.
2. 2Tell us the ask. Contact details, the location of the organization or individual receiving support, the purpose of the donation, and the amount you're requesting.
3. 3Tell us about your local footprint. The form asks you to list the businesses you patronize in your community. Local reciprocity is genuinely part of how we weigh requests, and we'd rather be upfront about it than pretend otherwise.
4. 4Add context. There's space for vehicle and family vehicle history and for any special considerations we should know about. Fill it in completely — incomplete forms don't get considered.

Tyson Fettes: Beyond that, spread the word. Sharing a post, telling a neighbor about a drive, or simply showing up to a public event on our lot makes a real difference. A lot of our best campaigns started as an idea shared over a backyard fence in Browns Lake or at a coffee shop in Rochester.

Building a Stronger Burlington: Key Takeaways