EVERETT — The Port Gardner Vintage Auto Club recently presented $12,350 in funds to representatives of various area community groups, as proceeds from the 10th annual Arlington Drag Strip Reunion and Car Show last year, and the club is already gearing up for the 11th annual reunion and car show this year.
Among those groups whose returning representatives received charity donations on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Everett Firefighters Association Hall, were the Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington and North Everett, the Arlington and Marysville community food banks, the Burned Children Recovery Foundation, Cocoon House, the Animal Rescue Foundation and selected graduates of the Marysville-Pilchuck High School Automotive Program, the latter of whom received tool scholarships.
“It’s all done by volunteers, so all the proceeds are able to go to those local charities,” said Jake Jacobsen, of the Port Gardner Vintage Auto Club, whose goal was to outdo the 2012 collection total of $10,000 by reaching $12,000 in 2013. He noted that the Marysville-Pilchuck High School Automotive Program has been among the regular beneficiaries of the show’s proceeds. “We select seniors who will stay in the automotive field after they graduate, and sponsor them to get tools, so they can get hired immediately out of school.”
Among the new recipients of the car show’s funds this year were the Open Door Theatre and the Hope Project.
“In 2013, a total of more than 20,000 people — mainly local children and families — were touched or served by all these organizations,” Jacobsen said. “It really surprised me, but when you take all these groups’ work and put it all together, it all adds up.”
Jacobsen always appreciates hearing from representatives of the beneficiary organizations, as they report on their activities over the course of the preceding year, because he finds their accomplishments life-affirming, but come this fall, he’ll be playing a bit less of an active hand in the event that helps those folks out.
“Bill Kinney, who’s the director of the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, will be co-chairing this year’s car show on Sept. 13 with Bill Horton, from the Port Gardner Vintage Auto Club,” Jacobsen said, before laughing, “Mr. Jake Jacobsen is going to be taking a break.”
Jacobsen still looks forward to welcoming more than 500 classic cars, vintage and current drag cars, show cars and street rods to the Arlington Municipal Airport again this fall, and drawing thousands of spectators of all ages to the west entrance of the airport in the process.
