Spina Bifida Story 2003

For about 20+ years, Corvette Troy (CT) has been raising money in the fight against Spina Bifida. To date we have raised more than $260,000. Some of which has been given to the national level, but most of which is kept in the Dayton area for use by the local chapter. Spina Bifida is a congenital birth defect where newborns are born with an exposed spinal column. In most cases there is paralysis. At the end of this article there will be donation information and information on next years benefit drawing.

This is a story that has not ended, but has another new chapter every year. This story has some sad moments, but also many happy ones. Here listed are just a few of the many happenings that in many cases have made somebody’s life a little better.

Sometime back in the late seventies or early eighties the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) adopted, as it’s national cause, Spina Bifida Association of America (SB). At that time SB was not a part of the United Way System. The National Council was holding yearly car drawings that allowed for a good donation to the Spina Bifida Association. At the same time the NCCC Charity Committee was looking for individual club donations that even if donated at the local level, would be recorded for a total nationwide number. CT donated dollars that were raised from various fundraisers throughout the year. Individual members also donated to the United Way, but earmarked all or a portion of their personal donation to SB. But being one of the biggest clubs in the NCCC organization, we were not making donations that were representative of our size and stature within NCCC.

So in 1984 it was discussed and implemented that CT would hold a local car drawing hopefully allowing the club to make a sizable donation to NCCC as part of the overall picture. This was the beginning of a plan that I am not sure any of us who are still involved, would have believed it could have grown to today. We sold 350 tickets, for $100 each. From that first drawing we were able to send NCCC a check for $5,000. We have always held the drawing in late October or early November. This has allowed us to have Corvettes very near the beginning of the marketing year. Thank goodness we have members like Thom Merritt, who brought a covered trailer to ship the shiny black 1985 Corvette Coupe safely back to Hopkins Chevrolet on what turned out to be a very snowy and icy evening.

In the following years we were able to build on the first years happenings allowing us to increase our yearly donations to $7-8K per year. Another change we implemented was to break our donation into two groups where part of the money would go to the national level and part would stay at the local level. We started to see a local need that we could associate with. With United Way giving little help to SB, it was easy to see that many local families were having tough times. In many cases, a child who has SB, also has many other complications. The more we worked with the local SB chapter the easier it became to turn our donations to their needs. From this, many friendships have been made.

CT continued the one car approach for 9 years. In the late eighties, it became apparent that this yearly function was big enough that CT needed to implement a Charity Committee to oversee the operations of this event. Although it occurs in one evening, there is much work to be completed through out the year so that in CT tradition, we are able to put on a first class program matched by few others. Many of the original members of our Charity Committee, are still with us to this day.

We had been holding our annual drawing at a hall at the Greek Orthodox Church. It was homey, we had a good stage and speaker system, but had one serious draw back, there was no way to get the car in the building. Having the car(s) close at hand has proved to build the excitement of the evening. We have always used a reverse drawing, and as the last few tickets remain, the excitement level picks up quite a bit. In the early nineties, a problem occurred when demand for tickets was so great we could sell out all tickets within a week or two, at most.

In 1994 we made a big move. We decided to give two brand new Corvettes in the same evening, and with that, we jumped the ticket count to 500. This made participant odds better, but allowed CT to raise significantly bigger dollars each year. By this time the NCCC had decided to change their charitable affiliation to the National Kidney Foundation. This is a very worthwhile cause, but after much review at the CT Charity Committee, it was decided that we could accomplish much more by continuing our local help to SB. The first few years of two cars allowed us to donate $20,000 per year. Also with this change in 1993, we were forced to find a new hall. We started a run with the Wayne Boosters Club that lasted until 1999. This location allowed us most of the amenities of the Greek Orthodox Church, but made it possible for both cars to be in the building in front of the stage.

By the late nineties, we were humming like a well-oiled machine. Since many of the Charity Committee members have remained, it has made it a little easier as the years have past. Cotton, a great local band has been with us since the beginning. Every year we try and add a little something different, to keep it interesting. With the addition of extra side drawings, to changes in the hors d’oeuvres presentation we hope to never become stagnant in what we do. Another area of change is that we have been able to up our yearly donations to SB. We have started to give an additional check for $2,000 at the SB Christmas party. This is a party where we get to spend some time with lots of the SB kids. One year we took them all a Corvette model. Santa was present, and we arranged for him to give Lisa Maas the additional check These have been some of the fun times.

In 1997 our long affiliation with Hopkins Chevrolet came to an end. Jerry Hopkins and Jim Moore, were always very helpful. It became quickly apparent that the new owner of the car agency wanted little to do with our charity event or the club as a sponsor. So a team of people set out to find a new sponsor for the club as well as helping us with finding new cars. With ‘97 models hard to come by, we were happy to see that Bud’s Chevrolet in St. Marys was excited about working something out with us. Tom Hendricks and the crew have been most supportive in making our annual benefit continue on through the years.

In 2000 logistics forced us to reconsider our location. We moved to the coliseum at the Fairgrounds, which gave us more space and time, but required other areas to be reconsidered. It was a time of adjustment, but we are better for it.

This past year was an extra special year in a number of ways. Following the 9/11 tragedies, we decided to change our theme slightly, to be more patriotic. This began by borrowing one of Bud’s big American flags. At 20’ x 30’in an 18’ tall building, we had to improvise, making it the backdrop to Cotton. With a number of patriotic songs and a short video courtesy of Ken Schaper, we were able to get everybody in the spirit of the day. Another highlight was that we were able to obtain a red hot Z06 Corvette.

The 2003 model year will certainly be a special one with the Corvette turning 50. You will have to stay tuned to find out car details later this year. It could be special.

I told you earlier that the story we are telling has had some sad and many happy times. The sad moments have come when we learn of a child’s fight to live has come to an end. It is all that much harder when you know them. Two stories I would like to relate was one little boy that is no longer with us, but before he left us we were able to donate dollars that allowed him to have what resembled a small computer. With this device he was able to communicate with his parents and friends. That was a big change for all in his family. The second story is of Annie, Kim Tangeman’s daughter who has also passed on. For a number of years we made our check presentation to Kim, and Annie always had a big smile for all at hand. There is no way I can name all the kids that have touched our group but many are continuing their journey towards a rewarding life. For Ashleigh, Amanda, Josh, and Justin it is always exciting to see the progress being made. This past year, at the check presentation Dave

Skinner presented me with a small book of pictures that tells a real big story. It highlights many of the ways that our dollars are being used. Many of the kids get to summer camps that otherwise would not be possible. I am hoping to get some or the entire book scanned into our website allowing all of you an up close look.

A big thank you to all of the members of Corvette Troy. With the donations of money and time spent, we are able to continue our winning tradition.

This years Charity Committee was made up of Keith and Judy Caupp, Charlie and Vicky Cooper, Bob and Carol Ewald, Ray and Karen Jackson, Tom and Sharon Knick, Jon Mann and Sherry, Carol Roth, Ken and Emily Schaper, M.L and Sara Smith, and Tom and Sharma Witt. Without all of their countless hours of time spent preparing and implementing this annual affair, I am not sure where we would be.

As I close this article, I would remind you that we are always looking for new help on the Charity Committee. If you are interested, just give me a call. Remember we are always looking for suggestions for improvement.

Cash donations can be made, by check, to “CT/SBAA” and mailed to Corvette Troy, P.O. Box 125, Troy, OH 45373. They will be added to our Charity fund exclusively for charity purposes.

If you are interested in purchasing a ticket for the Next car drawing, you can send your name, address, and phone number to the above address, attn: Charity Committee Registration. The flyer mailing for next years drawing will be mailed about Labor Day weekend. If you have purchased a ticket in the last 3-4 years you are already in our database.


One of the Lucky winners	Emily Schaper & the Flag	500 Tickets ready!


A few of CT finest	Quilt Door Prize	Trip Door Prize


Tom Knick	Promo Door Prize's	Emily & Ken