The Custom Cruisers of Northern Virginia plans to display various types of cars and collect donations in Centreville during one of its Charity Cruise-Ins.
This Cruise-In is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Burger King on Old Centreville Road.
"WE THINK it's great that people will donate money to see our cars," said Jim Chesley, a member of the Custom Cruisers' Board of Directors and organizer of the event. "The cars are the draw."
Owners of older and newer sports, custom and classic cars as well as motorcycles are invited to display their collections with no admission fee. However, they are encouraged to donate funds to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D. Chesley said they plan to have a deejay, an information table about the charity and food available at the Burger King.
Since there is no admission fee at the Cruise-Ins, they never know what cars will show up.
"We have no idea what's going to happen at any Cruise-In," Chesley said.
Participants who donate to the charity will receive a dash plaque that shows that they attended. The Custom Cruisers distribute these plaques, which are unique to every event, at each Cruise-In.
The Custom Cruisers choose a different charitable cause for each event. Chesley chose the Pine Ridge reservation after reading about the community in the Centre View and contacting Jay Corwin, a firefighter in Clifton and a source in the story who visited the community with the SYA Mazda Mets baseball team that he coaches. Corwin and his team have been fund-raising and helping there since they saw the poor state of the community.
"This was a very welcomed way to raise funds for what we're trying to do there," Corwin said. He hopes to make another trip to Pine Ridge with his baseball team sometime soon to help them out again. "We're very grateful for any funds that come in," he added.
Chesley said that he thinks it's important to donate to causes within the United States.
"I'D LIKE to take care of our own as opposed to the rest of the world," he said, adding that the United States sends large amounts of money overseas while some of its own communities are still suffering. "Let's help our own."
Ronald Devine, the Burger King franchise owner and a car enthusiast, enjoys his role in the Cruise-Ins, which includes hosting them and donating.
"They raise money for charity and we love being a part of that," he said. "We basically make the place available to him."
Devine said he has a '34 Chevy Coupe that he may bring to the Cruise-In.
Chesley said that the Cruise-Ins, which are inherently smaller than car shows, are a way to gain hype for the 8th Annual Custom Cruisers Labor Day Car Show in Clifton on Sept. 3, 2007, hosted by the Custom Cruisers and the Clifton Lions Club.
Although it's smaller than the car show, Chesley plans to hold it regardless of most weather conditions.
"It'll have to rain buckets in order for us not to have it," he said.