Local car enthusiasts used their love of automobiles to help raise money for local charities during the second annual Buford Auto Summit — Cruisin’ for a Cause car show.
The event held Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Buford High School was organized by the Classic Auto Rides (CARS) car club, a nonprofit organization that combines a love for classic cars and helping others in need.
“All of our Officers and Board Members have a passion for cars and an even greater passion for helping others,” said Dustin Williams, CARS president. “We have seen and experienced over many of our lives that a car or truck will bring a variety of people with very different backgrounds together to appreciate the creativity, hard work and individuality that goes into one’s vehicle. Knowing this, we decided to form Classic Auto Rides as a nonprofit organization and let vehicles be our platform to raise money to help others in our community.”
This year’s car show drew crowds of spectators viewing 436 cars on site, from early models, ’60s muscle cars, modern sports cars, modified “rat rods” and even a VW van. Awards were presented to the top 25 vehicles, and 40 specialty awards were presented to owners.
Prior to the event, CARS had raised $25,000 through its smaller, monthly car shows held at Buford High School. Through the generosity of the local car enthusiasts community and local businesses, CARS raised an additional $75,000 benefiting local charities.
“The organizations that we are honored to support do remarkable things and they support a variety of people just like the variety of people that CAR’s brings together,” Williams said.
Local charities benefiting from the $100,000 that CARS raised this year include the Buford City Schools Scholarship Foundation, Friends U Need, the Gwinnett Veterans Resource Center, Home of Hope, the North Gwinnett Co-Op and Whispering Angels Youth Ranch.
“Just knowing you had a small hand in bringing a smile to someone’s face, helping them receive an opportunity they may not have had the chance to receive, or helping them through an unfortunate situation is what drives us here at Classic Auto Rides and keeps us moving forward,” Williams said.
To learn more about CARS, visit the organization’s website at classicautoridesga.com.
FEATURED PHOTO: Representatives from the local charities selected by CARS were on hand to receive their share of the proceeds raised by CARS. Photo by Alicia Payne
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