AUGUSTA — A fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Harvey is scheduled for Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.
Maine’s Finest, a group that promotes cars and automotive events around the state, is organizing the event to help pay for relief efforts in the Houston area, which has been battered by heavy rain and flooding since the arrival of Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane, last Friday.
The fundraiser, which will be held at 2 p.m. in the upper parking lot of the civic center, will benefit the American Red Cross, said Aaron Perry, a representative of the group. The organizers will hold a raffle for T-shirts, photography sessions and other goods, he said.
The event will include an informal gathering of car enthusiasts, who will have a chance to show their rides, but anyone is welcome to come and participate in the 50-50 raffle, Perry said.
Perry doesn’t know anyone affected by the devastation in the Houston area, but he said the automotive community is tight-knit and some of his friends have traveled to Houston for car shows. He also wasn’t sure how many people might turn out to the event.
“With the car scene, it’s very hit or miss, especially with the Labor Day weekend,” he said. “Hopefully, we can pull some traffic from out of state. There are not a lot of bigger events.”
By Wednesday afternoon, 19 people indicated on the group’s Facebook page that they would attend the event, and 123 indicated they were interested in attending.
The American Red Cross attempts to shelter and support people who have been dislocated by disasters. It also supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood donations, according to its website.
The grand prize in the Saturday raffle is a photo and video shoot featuring a person’s car, which will be featured on the Maine’s Finest website, according to Perry.
“Part of me hopes it’s a really beat-up old clunker, because that would be really great,” Perry said. “But hopefully some guys with super-cars” — a Lamborghini, for example — “might show up.”
If someone happens to win that package and doesn’t have a car, Perry added, he’ll be happy to offer a regular portrait-style photo shoot. He has also reached out to automotive stores around the state seeking donations, and one of them has pledged to donate wash buckets.
The event is one of several ways Mainers can help the hurricane victims. The American Red Cross is seeking direct donations on its website and also planning upcoming blood drives, along with a variety of other organizations, such as the Texas Diaper Bank, Houston Food Bank, the United Way of Greater Houston and Catholic Charities USA.
Charles Eichacker — 621-5642
ceichacker@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @ceichacker
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