The car show will go on.
Despite learning the proceeds of their Aug. 8 car show can’t go toward their annual Mexico mission, organizers at Calvary United Church are preparing for a big day.
Coordinator Barb King got an unpleasant surprise when she went to the Woolwich Township office last week to pick up the raffle licence. She was told the event couldn’t have a raffle licence unless the proceeds went to a mission in Ontario.
“I was quite taken by surprise,” she said.
This is the third year for the car show, which was intended to raise funds for the church’s mission to build homes in Mexico.
The church is treating the raffle licence as a snag, rather than a roadblock. Funds from the car show will go toward the local missions the church supports, including the KW Pregnancy Centre, Out of the Cold program, and Milton Centre for the Deaf. The proceeds from fundraisers for those charities will be redirected to the Mexico mission.
Calvary United has sent teams to Mexico to build homes three times in the past. This year they’re sending a team of 13 that will head out Nov. 14.
Team members pay their own travel and accommodation costs, and the funds raised by the church go toward materials. It costs about CDN$8,000 to build a house, and takes four days to put it up.
The lucky families that will live in the house are selected by local churches, and they work alongside the Canadian volunteers to build their homes.
“You can’t speak the same language but you still are able to communicate in other ways,” said Brenda Tithecott, chair of this year’s team. “They’re just so excited to be getting a home.”
King came up with the idea of holding a car show at Home Hardware in St. Jacobs, where she works. The company has held a car show for the past five or six years, and King thought it would be a fun way to raise money.
The first year they had close to 50 cars; last year a torrential downpour brought the number closer to eight. So King is praying for good weather for this year’s event.
The car show is scheduled for Aug. 8 from 3 to 7 p.m., in the church parking lot. The event includes raffles, a 50-50 draw and a barbecue. Admission is free, and the first 25 cars to register will get a prize.
