Man donates classic car for charity raffle

Bruce Stone was looking for a way to honour his friend Frank Pontisso.

An avid collector of antique cars, he decided to donate one in Pontisso’s memory. There was little doubt which charity would benefit from the bright orange 1937 Plymouth Street Hot Rod.

"Frank was a very close friend of mine and Frank had talked about the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre and what they did there. It just seemed like the right thing to do, in memory of Frank, but also to help a great organization," Stone said. "They do phenomenal work, so that’s why I did it."

The George Jeffrey Children’s Foundation plans to raffle the car, valued at $25,000, next August, using the money to help buy equipment and pay for the upkeep of their Brock Street East facility.

Stone, who first met Pontisso three years ago when he was looking for an upholsterer to repair a convertible top, said he knew a vintage vehicle raffle would be a good moneymaker for the organization, which provides treatment for children with physical and developmental disabilities.

"It seemed like a way to get some money into some much-needed hands," he said.
Fontisso’s wife Linda said her late husband always had a soft spot for the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre.

"Frank was so emotional after being at the centre and he wanted to help in some way," she said. "I was moved by the generous donation of the car from Bruce and felt it was a wonderful way of celebrating Frank’s life while supporting the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre."

Bob Speer, president of the GJCC’s board of directors, said he couldn’t believe his ears when Stone first approached the organization and offered up one of his prized collector vehicles to the foundation.

"That’s fantastic," Speer said.

With 18,000 tickets printed – they’re $10 apiece or three for $20 – Speer said the draw could conceivably raise a considerable amount of money for the centre. The timing of the announcement is no coincidence, he said.

"It is a nice Christmas gift for different people, so we did it ahead of time. The car has been donated, so whatever we do is our profit. What are we going to do with the money? George Jeffrey needs money every day," he said.

"We need money for equipment. We money to make sure we have the proper trained staff on hand to train these children. And we’ve got a new building, and what we’ve found out with it is we’re getting more and more children. It’s just building. Our list went up instead of down."

Tickets are available at a number of locations around the city, including Frank’s Upholstery Shop, Grassia Auto Body, Thunder Bay Insurance, Persian Man, Rust Check, George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, from Lakehad Antique Car Club and United Commercial Travelers members, Rollason Flowers Ltd., J.B. Evans, George’s Market, Investor’s Group, Janzen’s new Westfort pharmacy and Thom Thumb’s Hobbies and Crafts.