Up-On-The-Roof

About the Event:

At noon, on April 1, 2007, Darwin Elliott, a Car Dogs for Kids Volunteer went Up-On-The-Roof of Colerain Ford at 8571 Colerain Avenue. Fully expecting to stay there for 30 Days or until he raised $10,000 for Make-A-Wish.

While the first two and a half days were sunny and warm the weather changed quickly after a spring thunderstorm. The temperatures plummeted and relatively constant 20-30 mile per hour winds prevailed. Mr. Elliott, hunkered down in his tent was quickly thrown back into winter.

Darwin said, “The cold was complicated by the sunburn from the days prior. The wind irritated the sunburn even more.”

At 2:03 PM on April 5, 2007, Darwin was ordered off of the roof. A local couple, having seen news coverage, decided that they did not want him (Darwin) Up-On-The-Roof in the inclement weather. They would not hand over the check until he was off of the roof.

After his decent, Darwin was ushered into the presence of the couple who embraced each other, shared a few tears and expressions of gratitude. The couple expressed that they were familiar with Wish Child Grant, age 5. Requiring that their donation be totally anonymous the couple left quickly leaving onlookers dumbfounded. “We knew there would be some contributions larger than others. We didn’t expect to be blessed with a $10,000 check all at once”, Darwin said.

Later in the afternoon Grant’s mother stopped by Colerain Ford. “Several people called me to tell me they heard about Grant on TV. I had no idea about this fund raiser. My husband called me from work. He said his boss had come to him and said there was some guy up on the roof at Colerain Ford raising money for Grant’s wish. If I had known I would have brought Grant here. He would of gotten a kick out of seeing him”, she said. Grant’s mom was quickly told about the generous donation and was moved to tears.

While the event has raised $10,000 so far, Colerain Ford has promised that they would donate $50 for every car sold during the month of April to Make-A-Wish. Colerain Ford will continue to accept donations for Make-A-Wish through the end of the month. They expect to raise a total of $20,000 for Make-A-Wish this year.

About the Wishes and Wish Children:

* Wish Child: Grant
Age: 5
Condition: Non Hodgkins T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma
Hometown: West Harrison, Indiana
Wish: To go to Disney World
Like many little boys, Grant likes to fish, play video games on his Playstation 2 and cheer on his favorite football team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

The kindergartener, who has cancer, was recently asked by Make-A- Wish's volunteers to describe his one true wish. Grant didn’t hesitate to say that he wanted to go to Disney world! The five-year-old said he's excited to meet Mickey Mouse, plus he thinks it would be fun!

* Wish Child: Danielle
Age: 13
Condition: Leukemia
Hometown: West Chester, Ohio
Wish: To go to Hawaii
Danielle, like many teenagers, loves shopping at Aeropostale, watching the Harry Potter movies, and scrap booking. Danielle was offered the opportunity to cast a lifelong wish when her doctor referred her to the Make-A- Wish Foundation last March. The 13-year-old, who has been fighting an ongoing battle with cancer, wished for a tropical Hawaii adventure with her family. When asked what was special about her wish, Danielle describes how she loves beaches and wants to swim with dolphins!

About the Volunteer:

Darwin Elliott is a 42 year old husband and father of four. Mr. Elliott graduated from Colerain High School and served in the U.S. Army. Mr. Elliott

Gifting:

Donations are being collected at 8571 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, day or night April 1st through 30th. Make checks payable to Make-A-Wish. All donations are tax deductible.

About the Sponsor:

Car Dogs for Kids, a small foundation that was started three years ago to raise money for local children’s charities (Cincinnati, OH). We adopted the Make-A-Wish Foundation0 of Greater Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana, Southern Ohio region. At our first golf event last year we raised $10,000 for them. This year our goal is $15,000. Any support or donations you could make would be greatly appreciated. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, Southern Ohio region. We have no paid staffers, it is 100% volunteer.

Contact Information:

Rachel Cooper
513.385.1414
Contact: Rachel Cooper
Colerain Ford
8571 Colerain Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45251

Phone: (513) 385-1414
Fax: (513) 385-9101
www.colerainford.net
Other Articles:
- Frugal Living: Money Making Ideas for Stay at Home Moms

---