The third annual All Mustang Show, Sept. 18 at Brondes Ford Toledo, will support the charity Susan’s Smiles of Happiness. The car show includes raffles, a DJ, food and Mustang-related vendors such as Roush Racing. All proceeds raised go to Susan’s Smiles of Happiness.

The All Mustang Show was initiated by Rose Jankowski, a sales representative at Brondes. One of her customers is Diane Hamilton, who founded Susan’s Smiles of Happiness. They were trying to come up with an event to raise money for the charity, so Jankowski turned to another one of her customers.

“She approached me because I have a background in promotion,” said Kevin Murphy, an account executive at Lamar Outdoor Advertising. “She asked if I could think of something and I suggested a Mustang show. I belong to Toledo Mustangs. We’d been together for a couple years and were looking to do a show. From there it kind of steamrolled.”

While Murphy came up with the idea, he gives credit to Jankowski for the execution.

“She is spectacular,” Murphy said. “She puts a lot of time and energy into planning this show and making sure everything goes off without a hitch.”

Murphy expects to see the show’s largest turnout this year with more than 200 Mustangs. The show has several awards, including Best in Class for six different classes, the People’s Choice, the Award of Excellence and Best in Show, which is voted on by members of Toledo Mustangs. Murphy is entering his own Mustang into the show.

“I’ve been an owner for most of my life,” Murphy said. “It’s a great muscle car. It’s a lot of fun, and the people who own them are really cool and down to earth.”

He owns a 1989 Mustang, but he likes all models of the car.

“That’s my favorite, but I like them all from the first one in ’64 to the new ones,” Murphy said. “I come from a Ford family. My relatives all work at Ford. Some of them are engineers. It’s cool to know a guy who put some parts on a car or designed a particular piece on a car.”

Hamilton founded Susan’s Smiles of Happiness with Tim Porter in 2009 after their daughter died. Susan was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome as a child and moved into the Sunshine Children’s Home when she was 15.

“Susan was smiley from ear to ear in spite of her own difficulties,” Hamilton said.

The charity helps provide dental care for all the residents of the Sunshine Children’s Home, which houses more than 150 children.

“If you’re a handicapped kid, and they all are, they’ve got enough to contend with. Why have a sore mouth? You can’t smile when you have a sore mouth,” Hamilton said.

“It’s a great cause,” Murphy said. “More than anything else, it helps with confidence for some of the residents there.”

Brondes Ford is located at 5545 Secor Road. The event runs Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free. Registration starts at 9:45 a.m. and costs $10 per Mustang. Visit ToledoMustangs.com for more information.

Tags: All Mustang Show, Brondes, Kevin Murphy, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Roush Racing, Sunshine Children's Home, Susan's Smiles of Happiness

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 at 10:12 am and is filed under Fundraiser, Star, Wheels.
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