The Leisure Trailer team: Jim Raymond, JT Raymond, Edward Raymond, Nicole Ellwood, Stephanie Holding and Tom Raymond.
Leisure Trailer Sales Supplies Mobile Isolation Units STORY BY MICHAEL SEGUIN EVERY COMMUNITY CHOOSES a single quality to define themselves. Innovation. Excellence. Or, in Windsor’s case, generosity. And despite venturing into these tumultuous, uncharted waters, our community is more united than ever. More and more businesses and individuals are stepping forward each day to help their neighbors weather this storm. One such business is Leisure Trailer Sales, a family-owned and operated RV dealership based in Lakeshore. “We’re a full RV service center entering into our 62nd year of business,” co-owner Tom Raymond states. “We’re family-owned and family-driven. We love when our customers send us photos of them camping with their families. That’s what we’re all about.” When COVID-19 reared its ugly head, Team Leisure brainstormed how they could help keep their community safe. “When this all started, we gathered as a family and thought about what we could do to help the community,” Tom recalls. “So, we sent an email out to Windsor Regional Hospital. We offered them 10 or 15 units for their workers to rest and recuperate in.”
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Uncharted Waters
Windsor Regional Hospital thanked Team Leisure for their generous offer, but declined. Unsure of what to do next, Tom’s daughters, twins Stephanie Holding and Nicole Ellwood, discovered a Facebook group: RVs for Canada’s Frontline—a volunteer service that connects frontline workers with vehicles that can be used as isolation units. Inspired, Leisure Trailer Sales began offering their RVs to frontline workers—including nurses, doctors, paramedics, firefighters and police officers. “They’re for whoever needs them, whoever we can help out,” Tom states. “We’re sending them all over. I wish I had 50 more units that I could put out there. There’s people out there that need them.” Since first offering this service, Leisure Trailer Sales has become inundated with requests. “When we get an RV, we put it on Facebook,” Tom explains. “People who are interested list their name underneath it. Then, the next day, we use a random draw generator. We don’t want to pick and choose who gets it. The stories behind the requests are so emotional.” The community’s reaction to their generosity has been overwhelmingly positive. “We’ve always been a community-driven company,” Tom explains. “We always like to support kids sports and charities. Whatever we can do to help other people out. The response has been just fantastic.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Leisure Trailer Sales remains committed to serving their customers. “Even though we are closed, we are open,” Tom explains. “We’re continuing to sell RVs through our website and Facebook page. We might not be able to let people on the lot, but we have tons of information online. Then, you can touch base with our sales manager, my brother Edward, or our finance manager, my S p e c i a l
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