Car Collectors Take a Spin for Adoption

DUBLIN, Ohio, August 24, 2016 /3BL Media/ - If you’ve ever wanted to take a ride in a Lamborghini or Ferrari your chance is coming up this fall at Wendy’s Headquarters in Dublin, Ohio.

The Annual Italian Gathering, which benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, is a day for Italian car lovers to take in the sights of 100 collector cars. Co-Founder Barry Boyles says this is the 11th year for the event that supports the Foundation founded by Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s. This year the event is September 4. Stop by from 10:00am to 4:00pm and the cost is just $10 per car.

“Dave Thomas and I were good friends. As an early on franchisee, we went from one store to 32 stores,” Boyles said, “I owe Dave a whole lot and the DTFA is his main charity that he wanted us to help. I feel I owe Dave so much and this is my way of paying him back.”

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption was founded in 1992 by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas. The mission of the Foundation is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care. Through its signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program, the Foundation funds grants to private and public adoption agencies that hire adoption recruiters. These recruiters use the Foundation’s child-focused recruitment model, take on smaller caseloads and find permanent homes for the children who have been in foster care the longest.

Boyles and his Italian Gathering Co-Founder George Evans have been hosting this event since 2005 and have no plans to slow down.

“We are there rain or shine! Nothing stops us from writing a check to the Foundation and supporting the mission to finding homes for children in foster care,” Boyles said. The silent auction is another one of the highlights of the event; everyone who bids has a chance at winning an hour-long ride in one of the collector cars. “It’s a heck of a ride!” Boyles said.

“These are just the types of grassroots efforts that help raise awareness and critical funds for our cause,” said Rita Soronen, CEO and President of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “We are so grateful to Barry and George for this more than decade-long commitment to the Foundation and the important work we do for the children we serve.”

Last year, the Italian Gathering raised $25,000 for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $130,000 for the Foundation.

Click here if you’d like to help by making a donation to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.