Show ‘n’ Shine supports ALS Society of Alberta

Patricia Ordynec, Manager-North Region of the ALS Society of Alberta receives a cheque for $1,500 from Bumper-to-Bumper sales manager Christian Rondeau July 18, monies raised during the local parts store’s annual Show ‘n’ Shine event.

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – Bumper-to-Bumper is a well-known spot to go to when parts wear out and need replacing, but the fundraising efforts of the local parts store will now be used to replace worn out equipment used by people with ALS.

Bumper-to-Bumper’s sales manager, Christian Rondeau, presented a cheque for $1,500 to the ALS Society of Alberta July 18, funds raised during Bumper-to-Bumper’s annual Show ‘n’ Shine event. This year was the third year for the annual car show and once again the local parts store sought to find a worthy charity to support through the gathering of car enthusiasts. The show raised $500 in 2010 to aid Sonny Davis and his cross-country wheel chair run in aid of Muscular Dystrophy. However, this year, the company chose a charity that hit a little closer to home.

“Mike [Poirier] had mentioned he had a relative that suffered from ALS,” Rondeau said, noting his own father recently passed away after having the illness for many years. “My dad lived with it a long time and Maurice [Chevalier, Bumper-to-Bumper owner,] thought that [charity] was a good one to connect up with.”

With a charity selected, Bumper-to-Bumper promoted the car show to be a success. Rondeau said Bumper-to-Bumper manager Karen Cust hit up just about everyone who came through the door to see if they had an old classic to be in the show. In total 125 vehicles came out for the Show ‘n’ Shine during St. Jean Baptiste Festival 2011.

The donation to the ALS Society of Alberta was mostly made up of Show ‘n’ Shine registrations paid by the vehicle owners; however, $500 was raised through the efforts of Home Hardware staff who held a free barbecue during the festival with a pay-what-you-will donation system.

Patricia Ordynec, Manager-North Region of the ALS Society of Alberta, who was on hand July 18 to accept the donation from Bumper-to-Bumper, was pleased with the generosity of local car buffs and home Hardware / Bumper-to-Bumper staff.

“The proceeds of all fund raising events go towards helping the programs and services of the ALS Society of Alberta,” Ordynec said after receiving the cheque. “We’re working with about 180 clients in Alberta. A lot of those people need items or equipment that are not covered by government programs.” Ordynec said her organization often assists with providing items that complement existing services. “Someone who is diagnosed fairly early on with ALS might benefit from an easy-lift chair that helps put people into standing [position],” she said. “If they are in a wheel chair, they’ll need to get in and out of the house. They would need a porch lift.” The ALS Society of Alberta manager said other equipment could include stair lifts or electric hospital beds to elevate the head. “Basically whatever anybody needs, if we can do it, to increase their quality of life,” Ordynec said. “We’re all very dedicated to it and we see some wonderful results.”

Ordynec said the Bumper-to-Bumper cheque will be used to help to purchase new equipment to replace equipment that has worn out. “Anything that is mechanical does wear out, and we do have clients who are in need,” she said. “Our money is spent for the betterment of the client.”

ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease or motor neuron disease, is a rapidly progressive fatal neuromuscular disease. For more information on ALS, visit www.alsab.ca.

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2 Comments

  1. Thank you to my brother, Christian Rondeau, Maurice Chevalier and everyone else at Bumper-to-Bumper and Home Hardware for rallying for this great cause. It’s nice to see good things happening in our community and I’m sure my dad would be very proud that you chose this as your charity this year. And I know that Patricia will make sure the money is used to help those in need.

  2. I feel I should point out that Karen Cust, Maurice Chevalier and Mike Porlier were the main driving forces behind our Show N’ Shine being such a great success. Mostly Karen though. While I did what I could to help out it was Karen and the others, including a large portion of our staff that really put in the effort and time. Also, the good people at Uni-Select deserve a huge thank you for all their help. Bob Chapman, Kelly Matyjanka, Amy Gloss, Rene Ensign. Hopefully next year we can go bigger and better and raise even more money for a worthy charity.

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