HINTON, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – This weekend, the Shade Tree Car Club will host a fundraiser for the Summers County Fire Department.
On Saturday, May 29, drivers will meet at Shady Spring High School at 10 a.m. before being escorted down the mountain by a fire engine from the Jumping Branch-Nimitz Volunteer Fire Department. The cruise will end at the Lifeline Church in Hinton where the car show will be held. There will also be food vendors set up in the church’s parking lot.
According to Stephanie French, secretary and treasurer for Shade Tree Car Club, the event is being sponsored by RT Roger’s Oil Co., Inc. out of Hinton.
This is the first time Shade Tree has held a fundraiser for the local fire department, but French says they want to support the department as it helps keep the City of Hinton and Summers County safe.
“They are our first responders. They are the ones who come to our rescue when we need them, whether it’s an accident, a fire, a rescue, or an overdose,” she said. “They take time from their families and lives in order to help protect ours.”
100 percent of the event’s proceeds will go to the Summers County Fire Department. French says the men will be presented with the money at the end of the event.
Chief Brian Cale with the Summers County Fire Department says the funds will go toward training expenses and equipment.
“Every little bit counts when it comes to volunteer fire departments because we are so funding limited,” Chief Cale stated, explaining that the department gets its funding through the state in the form of a percentage of insurance premiums. “We always operate payday to payday and our basic gear, equipment and training that is required in order to serve our community is not cheap by any means. Every little bit makes a difference and, in the end, it just goes back into the community.”