Calling All Car Lovers

On a warm Sunday evening in September, over 200 people gathered at Winship to gawk at a collection of four-wheeled wonders: vintage Corvettes, Bentleys, a 1961 Jaguar, a Lamborghini with a price tag suggesting it should have its own body guard, and a NASCAR car with the well-earned dents and scrapes it got winning a 2017 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega. Whew! Winship's first annual Cars Under the Stars fundraiser was an event tailor-made for a car-loving Atlanta crowd.

And the crowd didn't disappoint, raising more than $100,000 to be used for research in cancers affecting men. Two and a half years of thoughtful planning produced this Friends of Winship event, held in the valet parking circle and lobby of Emory Clinic A. An occasional drizzle dotted the car exhibition but didn't dampen the enthusiasm of Winship supporters.

Event co-chairs Patti Dickey and Sam Snider pose with a winning NASCAR.

Georgia is the birthplace of some of the largest names in NASCAR history and hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends each year, attracting thousands of fans. Cars Under the Stars event co-chairs Sam Snider and Patti Dickey were keen to embrace that market. Honorary co-chairs Dan Reeves, former coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and community volunteer Chuck Warren also leant support to the Friends of Winship event.

For Snider, who had seen both grandfathers and a father diagnosed with cancer, it was important to reach unique groups that may not have been previously aware of Winship. Dickey, who has been involved in Winship philanthropy previously, was also eager to expand and diversify Winship’s fundraising efforts. "Winship has a state-wide impact, and fundraising for cancer patients, while also engaging a larger Georgia community, is the perfect way to honor the connection between the pair," says Snider.