WiSH Education Foundation hosted its second annual car show, “Cars Under the Stars,” on Saturday.
The car show featured more than 280 cars, including a 1981 Delorean, 1932 High Bay Ford, 1955 Chevy Belair, 1960 Ford Starliner, 1958 VW Bus and more.
Raising money for the WiSH Education Foundation with a car show may be an odd pairing, but Amy Daniels, the executive director of the WiSH Education Foundation, says the idea came from board members Amanda Benson and Richard Cohn. The two are avid car show enthusiasts and offered the idea up as a great means for fundraising.
The show took more than six months to prepare and had more than 1,000 people in attendance, according to Daniels.
Rick Streiff, car show enthusiast of 40 years, was one of the thousand in attendance at the show. Streiff said he was there to show his support for the Santa Clarita Valley community and car community because, “we all help each other out.” He added that car shows like this bring out everyone’s individuality.
“It shows everybody’s personality and how they build their cars,” said Streiff. “Every car is a little bit different and most people that build their own cars, like myself, it’s a one-of-a-kind type vehicle.”
A friend of Cohn, and avid car show enthusiast, Ken Burgio brought his 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS to show support for the cause.
“To help kids today in any way is something that I’m all for,” said Burgio. “Because it’s a car [show], because there was a friend, most importantly it’s for the kids. You put that combination together and I’ll be there.”
All of the net proceeds went directly toward benefiting student programs in the William S. Hart Union High School District, specifically those not funded by tax dollars. These programs include wellness centers, the arts and special education.
“We bridge the gap of state education as funding because funding does not meet need,” said Daniels. “We really truly feel that we are a true community foundation.”
The WiSH Education Foundation serves nearly 23,000 students in grades 7-12 as a nonprofit organization, according to their website. Their goal is to help prepare these students for life.
“You want great schools in this community, even if you don’t have kids in our valley,” said Daniels. “We strongly believe that every single student, no matter their passions or their challenges, deserves to have the tools for success in the classroom.”
