The Wilderness Trail Region of the Porsche Club of America has launched Horsepower for Hope, a fundraising campaign to repair and fuel the family cars that carry children to care at Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n
Donations are open now at bit.ly\/3S2ymGF<\/a>, and the campaign will culminate in the club\u2019s inaugural Horsepower for Hope car show \u2014 free and open to the public \u2014 on Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 11 a.m., in the lot beside the children\u2019s hospital in Johnson City.<\/p>\n Fundraiser to aid patient transportation<\/p>\n \u201cMoney raised will support patient transportation assistance through the Ballad Health Foundation, helping families cover the vehicle repairs and travel costs that stand between a child and their care,\u201d a news release says.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies drive from all over the region to reach Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital, and across repeat visits and long stays the miles add up fast,\u201d club officials add in the release. \u201cTires that had a few more months left in them, an oil change that could have waited \u2014 suddenly they can\u2019t. Add fuel, hotel nights and an unexpected repair, and the cost of simply getting there becomes its own crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cLeft unsolved, it could turn into a missed appointment, a delayed treatment, and a parent making an impossible choice,\u201d officials add.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members spend more time than most in their cars. We know exactly what a broken-down car costs a family \u2014 and for these families, it can cost their child a treatment,\u201d says Ryan Elswick, president of the Wilderness Trail Region of the PCA. \u201cThis is the rare cause where what we love to do and what somebody desperately needs are the same thing. Every dollar goes toward getting a kid to the appointment they would have missed.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack Simpson, president of the Ballad Health Foundation, adds, \u201cMy favorite thing about working with our various donors is that they\u2019re always finding new, creative ways to support our children\u2019s hospital. We have a trove of generous, compassionate people in our region, and it\u2019s our job to get out to them with our mission. The support always follows, and we can\u2019t be thankful enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballad Health Foundation is the fundraising arm of Ballad Health, an integrated community health<\/p>\n improvement organization serving 29 counties of the Appalachian Highlands in Northeast Tennessee,<\/p>\n Southwest Virginia, Northwest North Carolina and Southeast Kentucky.<\/p>\n Car show is free and open to public<\/p>\n The Sept. 19 car show is free to attend and open to everyone. The lot is reached by continuing on Vonderfecht Way and taking the immediate right after Niswonger Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n