Besides wheels, ‘car culture’ is driven to help those in need
By Hamilton Kahn
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — New Mexico is crazy about cars. And those who live here and love to show off their souped-up classic cars love raising money for charitable causes when they do that.
Daniel Romero, president of the Camaro Club of New Mexico, jumped at the chance to bring the “car culture” community together to help others. On Saturday, it was the 8th annual True Soldiers Car Show in the parking lot of Hooters on Alameda Road NW. All proceeds were going to the Blue Star Mothers, known for assembling and sending care packages to U.S. troops involved in conflicts overseas.
“We do this every year,” Romero said. “This has been a family event that my family personally developed because of 9/11. Also, my oldest son is a Marine.”
The club has also raised money for cancer research and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, among other causes, and next weekend the recipient of its efforts will be a family in need of money for medical expenses, Romero said.
For Romero, helping others isn’t limited to organizing car shows. He is director of Professional Case Coordination Services LLC, which assists people with disabilities connect with resources to improve their lives.
“The car community over the last couple of years have really gotten together because there’s a lot going on in society that we need to give back,” Romero said.
Of course, a love of classic American automobiles is at the heart of these charitable activities, and that passion was evident Saturday with Paul Dearen, who was there with his 1981 Chevrolet El Camino.
“I’ve always been a car guy, ever since I was a kid,” Dearen said. “I had uncles who were involved with cars and car shows, and they just got me the bug. I fell in love with it at a young age.”
Dearen grew up in California and wound up in New Mexico in the early 1990s when he got transferred here as as manager of a Sears Auto Center.
“There’s a huge car culture in California, and we have a huge car culture here. It just kind of fit in,” Dearen said. “I’ve always said, I’ve had nice cars, cool cars, since I was a teenager.”
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