Car Guys Care for tots: ‘Show and Shine’ car show delivers its best year yet

Written by Cody Blowers
December 13, 2015

ST. GEORGE — For five consecutive years Car Guys Care and their “Show and Shine” car show have brought classy cars to St. George to help Toys for Tots, this year raising $3,400 in cash donations and 304 new unwrapped gifts Saturday, their biggest yield yet.

L-R: Owen Bouchard; Shane Dastrup; Retired Marine Gy. Sgt. Rick Massey, Toys for Tots Coordinator; Mike Thomas as Santa; John Heinz; performer Deonne Mendenhall; Car Guys Care's Toys for Tots "Show and Shine" car show at Ricardo's Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
L-R: Owen Bouchard; Shane Dastrup; Retired Marine Gy. Sgt. Rick Massey, Toys for Tots Coordinator; Mike Thomas as Santa; John Heinz; performer Deonne Mendenhall; Car Guys Care’s Toys for Tots “Show and Shine” car show at Ricardo’s Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Car Guys Care is a group of philanthropic folks from several different car clubs who got together for one reason – to help the community.

“The show was a great success, and we had over 100 show cars,” Shane Dastrup said, “and close to half were cars we had never seen before.”

Dastrup, president of the Southern Utah Mustang Owners Association & Classic Ford Club, presented Toys For Tots Coordinator retired Marine Gy. Sgt. Rick Massey with over $3,400 in cash donations at the close of Saturday’s show.

The cash donations are used to buy toys for older children in need of toys during Christmas, Massey said.

In addition, 304 new toys were counted after unloading and sorting over a dozen large boxes packed with gifts.  There were a large number of high quality toys donated as well, Massey said.

Donations included a junior bean bag chair, a youth laptop, set of girl and boy scooters, a telescope, and hundreds of others.

This year’s cash donations were up $1,004 from last year’s total of $2,396, Dastrup said.

Thanks to clear skies after a rainy Friday, the parking lot of Ricardo’s Restaurant on Bluff Street where the show was held was packed with classic beauties and custom hot rods.

Car Guys Care's Toys for Tots "Show and Shine" car show where 304 toys were donated at the event, Ricardo's Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Car Guys Care’s Toys for Tots “Show and Shine” car show where 304 toys were donated at the event, Ricardo’s Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Santa was on-site and mingled with the guests, while Mrs. Santa worked the toy booth.

Mike Thomas and his wife, Joyce Thomas, have been involved with Toys for Tots for seven years and are devoted to the cause.

“All he (Massey) says is Mike, I need a Santa, and I say ‘when and where?'” Thomas said, “and I’m there.”

For the second year in a row Ricardo’s Restaurant provided the venue for the car show, and business was booming inside and out.

“We feel like about 90 cars showed, and we got just about every one of those cars guys in,” restaurant Manager Clyde Behunin said. “It filled the joint.”

Deon Mendenhall, a singer and song artist, donated his time and talents entertaining participants and guests alike.

Overall donations

This year is even better than last, in terms of overall donations and number of children helped, Massey said.

“Last year we helped 3,164 kids,” Massey said.  “this year, it’s too early to tell, but we’re looking at 3,200 to 3,400 kids.”

Oldies and classic cars at Car Guys Care's Toys for Tots "Show and Shine" car show at Ricardo's Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Oldies and classic cars at Car Guys Care’s Toys for Tots “Show and Shine” car show at Ricardo’s Restaurant, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

So far this year, Toys for Tots has collected approximately $8,000 Massey said.  End totals will go up to about $16,000 to $17,000, he estimated.

“My hat’s off to anyone who helps out, donates, provides and spends time with us in the warehouse,” he said, “doing events like this right here.”

Toys for Tots upcoming events 

  • When: Dec. 18, 8 a.m.
  • What: Toys for Tots and The Marine Corps join Kony Coins for Kids in gift wrapping
  • Where: Dixie Center St. George, 1835 S. Convention Center Drive, St. George
  • When: Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • What: Toys for Tots deliveries – anyone can help make deliveries to the kids
  • Where: 4012 S. River Road, Suite 4E, St. George

Ed. Note: Date for Toys for Tots deliveries corrected:

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cody Blowers was raised in South San Francisco, California. A 2013 graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies. Through the course of her academic studies she discovered that writing is her true passion, and she is committed to providing credible, integrated news coverage. Cody joined St. George News in 2015, and when she’s not busy chasing the news, she can generally be found chasing her young granddaughter, Kali.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews

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