As a LeChase project engineer in Binghamton, Danyelle Skurski has had the opportunity to work on several projects in her hometown of Roxbury, N.Y., including renovations to a school she once attended. But no project is as personal to her as the local charity car show she organizes each year.
It started several years ago when Danyelle and four friends held a bake sale that raised more than $700 for a family member who was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. Sitting around a campfire with family and neighbors afterwards, they all decided they wanted to do something more – and bigger. “We live in such a super small town, we knew we had to do an event that people would actually come to, and that at the same time would raise money. We got to thinking and decided on a car show. Tons of people in the area have cars, but usually they have to travel quite a distance to go show them off,” Danyelle explained.
So, for the past six years, the third Saturday in July has been ‘Car Show 4 A Cause’ day in Roxbury – with all proceeds going to local residents in need due to a medical condition. Danyelle, her mom, sister and grandma are the chiefs, organizing not just the display of cars, but also t-shirt sales, raffles, a bounce house, food cooked by the Roxbury Fire Department and ice cream served by the local Rotary.
The first year, the event had 16 cars and raised about $1,600; by 2017 it had grown to 126 cars and raised more than $10,000. “We broke all of our records – most spectators, most money raised, most cars, most donations, most vendors, and most people receiving money,” said Danyelle.
Of course, that success does not come without effort. For Danyelle, the one-day show is a year-round project. “We start working on next year’s show the second the current year’s show ends,” she explained. “We take all the volunteers to my parents’ house after the show for the annual ‘thankyou’ BBQ. While everyone is eating we all take notes of what went well, what went wrong, and what we can do for next year!”
Although this year’s event is not until July 21, her team has already started putting up posters in surrounding towns and selling tickets for the bigger raffle items, which include a 55” LG smart TV, a Yeti Roadie 20 cooler and a 320-piece Craftsman mechanics tool set. Danyelle has also finished awards to be given in categories that include Top 20, Top Motorcycle, Top Tractor (yes, tractors are shown too), Kid’s Choice, People’s Choice, Farthest Travelled, Best of Show, and for the specialty competitions of Best Stereo, Loudest Exhaust and Best Diesel Smoke Show.
On event day, Danyelle will be assisted by more than two dozen friends and family members and about 5-10 student volunteers from her old alma mater – Roxbury Central School District. And Danyelle’s family member, who was the inspiration for the event, will again be the MC and DJ. “We are truly blessed to have recipients of this show be a huge part of this event,” she said. “Despite the fact that they may still currently be going through hard times, they are always there to help!”
To learn more about the show, visit the website at www.carshow4acause.com, or like our Facebook page: Roxbury Car Show 4 A Cause.
