SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- As General Motors Corp. moves forward with its plans to drop more than 1,000 dealerships, one local franchise wants the public’s help to keep its business going.

Garber Buick in Saginaw Township has launched a letter writing campaign, asking GM to keep the 102-year-old business up and running.

Tuesday morning, dealership owner Dick Garber will talk to GM leaders and plead his case.

Garber said he was shocked when he found out GM put his Buick dealership on the hit list. Garber said he’s fighting hard to get off that list.

“The community support has been incredible,” he said in regards to a letter-writing campaign the dealership is running on its Web site.

The Garber Group will collect all of the letters Monday evening and deliver them to GM. Garber said he has high hopes GM will change its mind.

The letter-writing campaign includes e-mail, and here are some of the messages of support that have come in:

• "I have to admit that I am still shocked that GM would close a business that essentially is the type of organization that everyone else is striving to match." - Ronald C. Barry, MD
• "Please reconsider closing an American icon, Garber Buick. I hope and pray that you will listen to our collective voices, GM." - Diana Young
• "Garber Buick of Saginaw is the benchmark of service to the Saginaw region and loyalty to General Motors. To take this dealership away from the Garber family and Saginaw would be a travesty of epic proportion." - Steve Shaffer, GM retiree of 36 years.

The dealership has been in the family for more than 100 years.

Garber hopes to deliver the letters to GM by noon Tuesday.