Mantua – On a crisp October Sunday morning, the day following Homecoming at Crestwood High School (CHS), the parking lot was full of vehicles of all kinds. No, these were not cars belonging to students who danced the night away; they were those of car lovers and collectors of all kinds attending the Crestwood Cruise-In for a Cause, a fundraiser being held as one of many service projects for the Junior-Senior Seminar class.
In Junior-Senior Seminar, students self-select a cause of interest and develop a service project to meet a need in society for their cause. CHS Seniors Skylar Gregel, Taylor Grubb, Jocelynn Norsen, Alexis Pelagalli, and Maranda Seither joined together to raise funds for military families and for families of infants in the NICU at Akron General Hospital.
Although the cruise-in began at noon, vehicles started showing up by 11:00. Shortly after noon there were over fifty vehicles, and by the end of the cruise-in, 82 owners had registered to show off their specialty vehicles. Registered participants were each given a ballot for voting for the top vehicle in three categories: best car, best pick-up truck and best semi-truck.
Winners took home prizes donated by various local businesses including gift cards or auto-care related gifts. Food was donated by Kress Transportation and Gionino’s Pizza in Hiram. CHS alumnus Bryce Honeycutt and CHS senior Dylan Shaffer provided live music for the day.
The Seminar students came up with the idea of a cruise-in because it is an event that has not been done at Crestwood before and is one they thought would generate a lot of interest. Raising approximately $1,200, the students, their families, and teachers all felt the event was very successful and are grateful for all who participated, donated, or attended.
Seither commented, “We wanted to do a cruise-in because it brings a lot of people into the community, which was something we had in mind for Mantua. It was also for a great cause.”
