The ever-smiling Charles Spiegel and his Alfa line up for the first Rally Across America event.
Story and Photos by Sean Smith
Jim Petty and his wife Wendy had been watching the news for two weeks straight. They saw what the pandemic was doing to some of the more challenged communities as the lock-down and quarantine occurred. He knew there was a stimulus package, but it would dry up pretty quickly. It was going to get tougher before it got better.
He wanted to help.
Jim looked at his wife and said, “I want to help, we want to help, but the last thing places like Bridgeport, Bethel, Danbury, and South Norwalk need is another 61-year-old guy shoveling mashed potatoes onto a Styrofoam dish.”
What the local communities needed were funds, so how could they make that happen?
How could they start a movement that would make a meaningful difference?
At the same time Jim was realizing that the automotive event season as we traditionally know it was being cancelled with all the social distancing requirements.
He had identified a need, the local communities most severely affected by the pandemic; he also identified an opportunity to keep the car and motorcycle community from having a dormant season. And that’s when he got his idea.
The first part of Jim’s plan was to put on short coffee-run type rally, like the Sunday Caffeine and Carburetors he was already enjoying, but he would keep the numbers down, so social distancing could be better observed. It would be an invitation only run with a 25-car limit in Fairfield County, CT. But instead of just getting together, each entrant would donate a minimum of $100.00 that would go to local communities that have been affected by COVID-19. There must be others who also wished to do something for local communities. He was sure he could get some interest.
With his experience as a career retail executive, Jim understood the need for simplification and replication. He had an idea that would not only create interest for a local, onetime benefit but one that could easily be duplicated from coast to coast. Could this idea go viral, across the country? Would other Cars and Coffee events do the same?
Rally Across America
Jim sent out an email blast. The concept of a Rally Across America was explained. Jim wanted the proceeds of each Rally to go to and benefit the local communities near where the Rally occurred. The recipients of the monies raised would be decided by the coordinator of each local rally. The response was immediate and overwhelming. The consensus was a resounding yes. People wanted to do something like this.
Buzz Kantner and his classic Harley.
The mission of Rally Across America Each event is to hold a very simple rally that focuses on the love of involvement with automobiles and motorcycles, while financially helping local communities in need. Each rally will comply with all social distancing guidelines and protocols. Each Rally Master will line up their participants, choose their charity, execute the rally and deliver the funds directly to the chosen local charities.
Each event would have a very local feeling, but could be replicated on a national basis. Jim was creating a Rally-in-a-box concept. He did some quick math. 50 states. If each of the 50 states averaged eight 25 car rallies during the car season, numbers rolled up quickly to a million dollars. That’s a nice number Jim felt that could be attainable.
The best way Jim felt he could take this cross country was to align himself with a national sponsor. This way they it could be promoted on a national level and the sponsor could also play a role in distributing the Rally-in-a-Box concept that would help every local Rally Master get the project up and running quickly: here is the price, here is the procedure, here is how the funds can be dealt with.
Jim also connected with some of the heavy hitters in the local car community, Frank Taylor and Bill Scheffler, to help with the organization and logistics. With no arm bending they got sponsorship and participation from Hagerty ( who will help out with other versions of the rally in other states across the country), Sloan Motorcars, Automotive Restorations Inc., Gaswerks Garage, American Motorcar, and Cafe Racers which is chaired by Judy Stropus, The Small Car Company and The Pray Foundation but are hoping to get larger sponsors to help with the national outreach and also donations from the sponsors will also take on their own life.
Over the roof of The Gaswerks Garage Turbo of Chris Turner & Gaspare Fasulon.
On June 7th the first Rally kicked off from the Weston, CT high school and it was a great success. They were hoping to raise $2,500.00 and they blew past that and raised $4,150.00 for the cause. They received amounts from the minimum up to $500.00. And they project that Rallies like this across the country will have the same experience.
Rally Across American could become an annual philanthropic strategy to have the car community help give back to the communities around them.
If you have the urge to create one of these rallies yourself, get in touch with Frank Taylor
For all your Rally information needs: frank@tayloredbizsolutions.com or
Melanie Pray: melanie.pray11@gmail.com
Doug Zumbach in his Fury and organizer Jim Petty.
Charles Spiegel purchased the white Alfa Romeo from me after I owned it for 18 years. It is a superb car that was upgraded with a 2L engine, disc brakes and assortment of other things. I couldn’t be happier to see it again in good hands.
Fuelfed, which is a Chicago-area club for those with pre-1990 European cars, did a similar thing – they held several Sunday morning drives to locations around the metropolitan area where we dropped off canned goods for the local food depository. It was cool seeing so many vintage European cars coming and going on the pre-published route, and for a great cause.
What a great idea and events – you have fun in your cars and help financially strapped inner cities.