Winning is one thing. But winning a classic car in a raffle where your dollars go to a charitable cause? That’s winning on a whole other level. Earlyrides.org, based in Westminster, Calif., is heading into the final stretch of its first-ever raffle. The grand prize: a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. Gearheads, you can now exhale.
“We’ve done straight donations to charities in the past,” said Early Rides co-owner Jodi Lockyer, who, along with her husband Vince, has been building and restoring classic cars for more than 25 years. “But raffling off a car is a great way to have a little more control over the charity process. And restoring cars is what we do for a living. So making sure the car is safe, valuable, and not a piece of junk is really important to us – as it should be anyone raffling off a car.”
Charity Goes a Long Way
The Lockyers like giving back to the community. Before the recession hit in 2008, the couple received a large family inheritance that afforded a comfortable living while they watched others struggle to make ends meet.
“We’ve used some of our money to help people out locally, buying old cars from some so they could afford to make their house payments, for example,” Jodi said. “We’ve been so fortunate and want to keep giving back. This raffle, and the charities it supports, is a way of doing that.”
The Lockyers contacted three California charities where a majority of money raised from the raffle will go: California Police Youth Charity, Orange County Rescue Mission, and Joyce Meyer Ministries (via funding through the Joyce Meyer Hand of Hope for the Los Angeles Dream Center). The charities are spread out across the state, covering large areas like Orange County, Los Angeles, and Oakland, and endeavor to offer shelter for the homeless, educate disadvantaged children, teach youngsters about the dangers of gang violence, or help people who have faced certain hardship get back on track with their professional careers. A small portion of this year’s raffle money will also go to support the car raffle slated for 2014 – a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. Submissions for that raffle begin in September.
“Both of the Plymouths are actually our cars,” Jodi said. “We’ve put a lot of work into them over the years.”
Pay to Play – and Possibly Win Big
The Roadrunner featured in this year’s raffle appraised for $33,000. Keep in mind, the winner of the car must be prepared to pay a certain amount of tax on the four-speed vehicle.
If you want to enter to win this sweet little slice of history, send in your raffle payment soon. Tickets are $20 each. The raffle ends on Aug. 31, 2013 and the winner will be announced that same day. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
“We have 5,000 tickets to sell and aren’t even halfway [to the number sold] yet,” Jodi said.
To enter, mail your payment (cash, money order or check only) to P.O. Box 1166, Westminster, CA 92685. For more information, call (714) 316-9902 or email info@earlyrides.org.
Should you win, you’ll have 30 days to claim your prize (so hang onto your ticket) and a lot of car to handle on your hands. The speedometer on the 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner tops out at 150 mph. So, sticking to your safe driving skills is a must.
“I want everyone to know that racing a car like this is always safer when it’s done on a qualified track,” Jodi said. “Test it out there – it’s safer and you’re a lot better off.”