Team Ford, emergency-relief team give away Raptor truck

Operation Fire Holiday Emergency Assistance Team was at Team Ford Lincoln Mercury Oct. 12 to participate in a raffle to give away a brand-new 2010 Ford F-150 Raptor truck. Nick Robison, a firefighter from Las Vegas, won the Raptor.

Team President Steve Olliges, who was the lead driver for the Ford Raptor for the 2008 Baja 1000, oriented Robison with the truck.

"These Raptor trucks are my passion. No one in the country knows more about theses trucks than we do here at Team," said Olliges. "And to be involved with a charity like H.E.A.T. that takes such great care of kids during the holiday season is a bonus."

The primary mission of H.E.A.T. is to replace Christmas toys that children have lost to catastrophic fires during the holiday season. H.E.A.T. also tries to provide $1,000 of necessities such as diapers, formula, toiletries, clothing and school supplies.

In addition, H.E.A.T. provides tabletop Christmas trees to families who celebrate Christmas and holiday dinners. Children receive greeting cards containing money and whatever is leftover from the $1,000 fund is given to the families in the form of gift cards.

After purchasing the toys and necessities, the assistance team then uses a fire engine to deliver everything to the families wherever they are staying. During the delivery, children are given a detailed tour of the fire engine and equipment firefighters use. This also allows firefighters to meet and interact with the affected children and families.

Team Ford Lincoln Mercury is the No. 1 Raptor dealer in the entire U.S., with more than 115 sold -- more than twice as many as its nearest competitor.

"Again we take absolute pride in our product knowledge in regards to the new Raptor. We know how tough these trucks are and know what they can do," Olliges said.

Located at U.S. Highway 95 and Ann Road, Team Ford Lincoln Mercury features sales, service and parts and new vehicles, a free arcade, free Wi-Fi and Cobra Café. Visit www.TeamFord.com.