GATE customers raised $40,000 in support of Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Funds were raised in GATE convenience stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina through the company’s “Buddy for a Buck” paper icon campaign. From October 1 – 21, customers could donate $1.00 and sign their name on a paper icon displayed in the GATE store. Customers could also donate by rounding up their purchase to the nearest dollar. Funds were allocated to local Down Syndrome Associations in the communities where collected.