For over 40 years, Gary Shores was one of the most popular radio disc jockeys in Toledo. He was a star who made our mornings funny and entertaining when we listened to him and his partner Harvey Steele on K100. Gary not only had great talent, but he also had a great heart as anyone who knew him would attest. He freely gave of his time to help support so many causes that it’s impossible to count.
One of Gary’s passions was classic cars. He was an enthusiast as was evident of the classic cars he owned at the time of his passing in February of 2023. And now, those vehicles will be one more way that Gary will help make life better for those in need.
Dave White Chevy Executive Manager Joe Mehling, who was a close friend of Gary’s, had the dealership purchase 3 classic cars from Gary’s estate. Since these cars were collectible, Joe believed Gary would have loved the idea of auctioning them where the net profit will be donated to Veterans Matter, a national non-profit headquartered in Toledo, OH whose purpose is to help house homeless veterans. No one had more respect for veterans and what they sacrificed for us than Gary.
At any given moment, there are about 38,000 homeless veterans in America with a quarter of them living outdoors with their wives and children. They are the unseen of our homeless population because they do not want to be seen. They are embarrassed of their situation. The Veterans Administration has teams of people who know how to find homeless veterans and has housing vouchers and medical teams standing by to help. The problem is veterans need to be in permanent housing and the VA does not provide rental deposits. That’s where Veterans Matter comes in.
Veterans Matter works with the Veterans Administration to provide the rental deposits so the VA can get our homeless veterans into permanent housing. About $700 is all it takes. In its 12 years of operation, Veterans Matter has housed over 7,000 veterans and another 3,000 wives and children across the country. We may never be able to solve the problems that cause veterans homelessness, but we can solve their homelessness. 91% of all veterans housed remain housed and 91 cents of every dollar raised goes to deposits. Quite a record and we know that Gary would want to support the Veterans Matter mission.
The three cars that will be auctioned are a 1966 Corvette, a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible and a 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-2-2. Each of them have been appraised by an independent firm and all of their details are here. The auction will take place on Proxibid.com and will run Thursday May 25th through Tuesday May 31st.
If you are in the area, stop by our Pre-Owned Showroom and take a close look. You’ll be glad you did.
