35 msfocusmagazine.org Want to Plan Your Own Fundraiser? To get help creating your own event to support people with MS, contact the MS Focus Corporate Relations Marketing Coordinator Rob Beasley at rbeasley@msfocus.org or call 800-225-6495. at the door, people handing out MS Focus freebies. Q: Why did you choose this type of event? A: I know about cars and we’re big in the car community. I support several car clubs and I’m an administrator for another car club. I love my ’94 Acura Integra. We race at a track nearby. My husband and his family are generational car racers. His father and grand- father raced on the same track. Q:What elements of the event were the most challenging? A: Finding a venue and gauging how much food to have because I didn’t know how big the event would be. I created a Facebook event. We noticed 300 people were going and 1,000 were interested. We planned for some- where between that. Q: What did you learn from the process of creating this event? A: I learned who my friends are. My friend baked 500 cupcakes in her house for the event. She used her own money to buy the ingredients. I learned that nothing goes exactly the wayyou want it to, but things come together. A few snags, but things worked out. Cars showed up late, and we didn’t have parking left for cars to showcase, but we made it work. We’re already planning for a larger venue for next year. Q: What would you tell others about your experience? A: Everything that I went through in the three months of planning was a feeling I can’t even describe. The experience was a rollercoaster, but completely worth it. There is no greater feeling to look back and see that you accomplished something. I’m so thankful for everyone who helped make it possible, there were so many people who came together. I was so proud of everyone who stepped up, who supported us, and the vendors. In that moment everyone forgot about their own worries and had fun. It was pure fun. Q: What was the most rewarding part of this experience? A: People stopped me and told me about their family members who were diagnosed. I didn’t even know them and they thanked me and told me their personal stories. They let me know that I wasn’t alone. I made even more friendships and met more people in the car community. It was all for my husband at the end of the day. It was overwhelming to see everyone come out to support people with MS. There is nothing I can do to say thank you enough to all the people who helped. We had so much fun. It was pure and genuine. It was all positive energy. People in the community now know me as the person who put on the car show.