| 2001 Team Jenny, Team Jillian and Final Thoughts | ||||
| Many
of you have helped us with our fight against Cystic Fribrosis on behalf
of my daughter Jenny. Team Jenny was started three years ago and to
date has raised over $500,000! Every single penny has been donated
directly tot he Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Last year saw an
amazing number of events and fundraising work done by our family,
friends, customers, and suppliers. There's no way to thank
everyone who has helped. Here are only a few...As previously
mentioned, Ed Coombs at Classics by Elite has done an outstanding job
with the DVSF event in Ohio. This fellowship has begun to spread
throughout the industry. Maybe by helping each other on a personal
side, we will begin to also help each other from an industry standpoint.
John Gargano and his crew at Alliance Energy have sponsored a fishing tournament out of Rock Harbor on Cape Cod. The tournament has raised over $200,000 in just two years. I met John two years ago, and he is one of those truly generous people who is as genuine and sincere as they come. His team of volunteers at Alliance Energy are the best! The students at the Dartmouth Early Learning Center in South Dartmouth, MA have raised more than $4,000 with a mini-march held in Jenny's honor. In addition to fund raising, the students have researched Cystic Fibrosis and hleped teach others about the disease. Jenny will be starting school there in 2003. Bernie Willet and his team from American Airlines sponsor an annual event called "Celebrity Ski" in Vail Colorado. Last year, Factory Five donated a car to the event and it raised $104,000! People who attended the event included Superbowl Champion Quarterback Boomer Esiason, Cy Young winner Jim Palmer, and Olympic Gold Medal Skier Billy Kidd. These and many other folks gathered to raise about three million dollars for Cystic Fibrosis. FFR's Dave Smith and his wife, Denise, attended the 2001 event. Dave gave test rides to celebrities and others in the 500+ hp big block car through the snow lined streets of Vail Colorado. Only three people remained calm during the customary zero-to-...too fast to look at the speedo experience...Turns out they were members of the elite Navy Blue Angels aerobatic flight team! |
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| Celbrity Ski Event Participants...Above left: Denise and Dave Smith with Boomer and their friends from college, Tom and Mira Winter. Middle: Wayne Wong and Billy Kidd check out the FFR roadster. Right: Dave Smith with ex-White House Chief of Staff John Sunnunu and his wife. | ||||
| The
most memorable donation came from young Jessica Gelberg from Highland
Park, Illinois. Her letter was received at the 2002 Spring Fling
event. It read verbatim...
"To: Jenny, Here is a dollar so that you can get better. I hope it will help. This is part of my allowance. My dad told me that you were sick so I thought I could help. I'm 8 years old. I hope you get better soon." Jessica Gelberg This year we are continuing the work and doing even more. Team Jenny is now joined by Team Jillian. FFR customer Todd Buttrick won first place at the 2002 Open House with his well-appointed and flawless roadster. Todd's wife Jillian died last March of breast cancer, leaving Todd and his daughters to carry on without their mom. In response, FFR customer Gary Cheney has started the "Jillian Memorial Cup" in her honor. Now New England racers who win the annual Spec Series title in the NE region will receive a beautiful trophy that is in memory of a beautiful and courageous lady. In tribute to Jillian Buttrick, Factory Five is adding Breast Cancer research to our fundraising mission. Team Jenny and Team Jillian are where we put our hearts. There is a whole section on the Factory Five website that describes the people we've met and the events we've attended or sponsored. Check it out or join us at an upcoming charity event for these worthy causes. |
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| David Smith |
