JULY 14-15, 2017
Raleigh County Memorial Airport | Beckley, West Virginia
Fourteen years ago, members of the mining industry, local businessmen, and car enthusiasts came together with a plan to hold a fundraiser to help support the maintenance and operation of the just completed YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex, which was built on several acres of land sitting on a former mine refuse site in Beckley, West Virginia. The end product became the Friends of Coal Auto Fair - an event that not only met the initial goal of supporting this state-of-the-art facility, but one that has grown to support the local economy and the community of southern West Virginia.
Due to improvements at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Sports Complex the Auto Fair was postponed for one year and resumed in 2016 at a new location, the Raleigh County Memorial Airport. Thousands of people from all over the country gathered the third weekend in July of last year to take part in the car show, live music, special performances, helicopter rides and festival food - all for the common cause of giving back to the community of Southern WV. In order to continue to make this event an incredible success and the cause a reality, we need your support.
Our community’s kindness and generosity, particularly from the coal mining community, over the years has had a very profound effect on the event and in our southern coalfields. Coal, and Coal Mining Community support, forms the lifeblood of this event, as coal is the lifeblood of the economies in Southern WV. Three wonderful and local charities (Hospice of Southern WV, the Humane Society of Raleigh County, and the Women’s Resource Center) are the new beneficiaries of the Friends of Coal Auto Fair. Just like the coal industry, these organizations help make Southern West Virginia the special place that it is. Donors will be recognized on the Friends of Coal Auto Fair website, at the event, and in the hearts of those that your donation will help. Any and all amounts of donations will be gladly and gratefully accepted. Any donation to the event is tax deductible.
If you have any questions about the Friends of Coal Auto Fair or would like to talk more about the three wonderful organizations this event supports, and how you can make a difference, please do not hesitate to contact Josh Jones. He can be reached by phone, 304-255-6404, or by e-mail, at jjones@hospiceofsouthernwv.org.
I attended the kickoff media event for the Friends of Coal Auto Fair and am personally very excited about the new venue, the entertainment and activities that they have lined up, along with the great organizations this event is supporting. Please visit the Friends of Coal Auto Fair website or visit them on Facebook. Your support is needed for this event because you are giving back to the community that many work and live in and benefit from the organizations the event is supporting.
Thanks,
Bill Raney
West Virginia Coal Association