For Dustin Williams, what started as a passion for classic cars became something much larger.
“It started with a group of about ten of us, and we all have old cars,” Williams said. “We’d always been a part of other car clubs in the area, but we were sitting around one day and decided to give it a shot. Let’s see if we can create our own car club and see what we can do with it…with a mindset of wanting it to be a true nonprofit.”
And that’s just what they did when they established Classic Auto Rides. Located in Buford, the nonprofit organization hosts car shows and cruise-ins, primarily at Buford High School, to raise money for various local charities, including Whispering Angels Youth Ranch, Care for Cops, Friends U Need and the North Gwinnett Co-Op, to name a few.
“We want to do this as a way to help our community and not just be another car show,” Williams said. “We want to be sure that what we do supports our community, our surrounding communities, and supports the smaller organizations that make an impact here locally.”
Four years later, Classic Auto Rides is showing no signs of pumping the brakes.
In their first year alone, CARs raised $60,000 and donated everything back to local charities.
In addition to registration fees for the car shows, Williams cites club members and community sponsors as CAR’s biggest supporters. It’s not only car people willing to be a part of the cause. Local businesses like Rick Hendrick Chevrolet and Bare Bones Steakhouse are neighborhood allies as well.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do anything–there would be no point in us existing without them…the cool thing about our members is that we have some members that don’t even have old cars,” Williams added.
And at $50 per year for a membership, it’s certainly an affordable and worthy cause for both car lovers and non-enthusiasts alike.
Between the months of March and August, Classic Auto Rides hosts “cruise-ins” for the community to come out and enjoy. However, their upcoming show on September 21st is what Williams calls their “pinnacle show” for the year.
“We are hoping to have between 500 and 600 cars on display. Chip Foose, who is a car guru and has had his own TV show for years, will be there as a guest judge. He’s out in California, but he’s flying all the way here because he’s heard about what we’re doing,” Williams excitedly added about the organization’s highly-anticipated show. “We’re expecting a lot of spectators that day.”
The upcoming show, which will be held at Buford High School, expects large crowds but also anticipates making over $100,000 in charitable donations, presenting 60 car awards, gifting three motor giveaways, and awarding 100 door prizes. In addition to seeing some of the most beautifully restored classics, there will be entertainment for all ages, including kids Hot Wheels races, goody bags and food trucks.
While the majority of vehicles Classic Auto Rides hosts at shows are classics from the 1920s all the way up to the muscle cars of the 60s, 80s and 90s, they also get some exotics like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens that aren’t seen everyday. Classic Auto Rides also loves having the charities they help attend their events. They’ve hosted organizations like Friends U Need and Whispering Angels and describe their reactions to the cars and donations as “priceless.”
For Williams and his CARs partners, “The passion comes from having cars, getting to meet people, and using the cars to help a whole lot of people.”
Even though Williams is proud of how far the organization has come in just a few short years, he’s not lost sight of what’s truly important.
“You know, when the members show up, and the sponsors show up, it really brings together the whole entire community and lets us make those donations where they’re needed,” Williams added. “We’ve been very fortunate.”
