COVID-19 caused the Rotary Club of Tucson to put the brakes on its 14th annual Tucson Classics Car Show, but fundraising for two local charities is moving full speed ahead with the 2020 TCCS Raffle and an all-new online auction that will begin Sept. 16 and continue through Oct. 16.
Make Way for Books and the Innovative Learning Center at Pima Joint Technical Education District are beneficiaries of the auction and the annual signature raffle, which will be held Oct. 17.
As in previous years, raffle tickets are $5 each, and the grand prize segues with the car show theme, offering a 2007 C-6 Chevrolet Corvette convertible or $15,000 cash. Five other prizes include a $3,000 shopping spree from Sam Levitz or Ashley Homestore; $2,500 cash from Wellspring Financial Partners; $2,000 in new kitchen appliances or furniture from Tucson Appliances Co.; a $750 massage package from Tucson Family Wellness; and a $500 car care gift certificate toward a set of new Cooper tires from Jack Furrier Tires & Auto Care.
The decision to cancel the car show, one of the largest regional car shows that has evolved into a fall tradition in the Old Pueblo, was not made lightly, said Cliff Bowman, event chairman.
“We made the decision to cancel when COVID-19 was on a huge upswing. We wanted to decide a few months in advance to let the vendors and all of the people who help support the car show know so that everyone wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute. We didn’t see things getting much better in the near future, so we decided to put a bigger emphasis on selling raffle tickets and the online auction since those are the only ways to raise funds for Make Way for Books and Pima JTED,” said Bowman.
Bowman said that typically raffle ticket sales range between 26,000 and 30,000 each year, with about 10,000 tickets sold on the day of the car show.
“We have a big deficit to try and make up this year, so we have partnered with Madden Media for a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the different platforms so everyone can see the Corvette and the great prizes. A ticket is only $5, and all of the proceeds go to these two very worthy charities,” said Bowman.
Since inception, proceeds from the car show have raised more than $1.6 million for local charities, focusing primarily on children’s literacy and youth education.
After five consecutive years of support for early literacy programs through Make Way for Books, the Rotary Club of Tucson has pledged $250,000 over the next two years to JTED’s Innovative Learning Center as part of its Centennial Project.
“Pima JTED has been partnering with us for at least six years. They have always greatly supported the car show. They usually have at least 100 volunteers on-site who help on the day of show and assist with set-up and clean-up,” said Bowman.
Bowman said the Innovative Learning Center’s career and technical education programs warrant increased support.
“These days they help fill the gaps in all of those trade skills we seem to be losing out on. High school kids who are part of the program learn responsibility and are trained in trades. They are providing education and work force skills that we need in Tucson,” Bowman said.
Pima JTED offers programming through 14 member school districts in Pima County; the programs serve about 20,000 students annually through 30 central campus and satellite locations that offer a range of disciplines in business, arts, health and human services, science and technology.
The newly opened Innovative Learning Center, which is at 3300 S. Park Ave. at I-10 in The Bridges development, is operating at reduced capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 50,000-square-foot center will provide tuition-free career and technical programs to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors from public, private and charter schools who are under the age of 22 and have not earned a diploma or GED.
The Rotary Club of Tucson is taking fundraising virtual for Pima JTED’s Innovative Learning Center and Make Way for Books with the TCCS Raffle and an online auction that will begin Sept. 16 and continue through Oct. 16.
The campus will offer industry-recognized certifications and dual college credit for registered medical assistants, licensed nursing assistants, and air transportation/FAA drone operators. It also features programs and certifications in health-care foundations, 3D animation and virtual reality game design, business start-up and entrepreneurship; cyber security/artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, engineering/aerospace and mining technology. Additionally, a culinary and nutritional arts program will operate a cafe onsite.
TUSD is leasing space within the Innovation Center to operate Innovation Tech High School, which provides core classes for nearly 400 students during the day; Pima JTED students then access technical programs in the evening. While students have started school virtually due to the pandemic, the goal is to resume in-person instruction by the spring semester.
The programs offer an innovative, integrated learning emphasis in partnership with local business, industry and post-secondary institutions, according to Greg D’Anna, director of public relations for Pima JTED.
“This is hands-on, project-based learning and these programs are more important than ever. In the new economy, the emphasis is really on industry certifications more than a degree. Employers are looking for people who hold licenses and certifications to be able to complete skilled jobs. That is driving career and technical education,” said D’Anna.
D’Anna emphasized that many certifications result in outstanding salaries and that employers sometimes subsidize continued education.
“The other beauty is that after helping students enter these professions, they can continue with post-secondary education so they earn as they go to college. With a huge student loan crisis looming in the country, this is one way to help ameliorate that,” D’Anna said.
D’Anna said that Pima JTED is extremely grateful for the support from Rotary Club of Tucson.
