Cars and Conscience

When it comes to organizing car shows in Red Bank recently, Frankie Woods has been it.

It makes sense, sure. Woods is himself a classic car fan who owns his own hot rod. The borough code official and volunteer fire fighter puts together the annual Liberty Hose car show, too, and when he and his buddies went looking for a way to honor their late friend and fellow car enthusiast Stu Paer last year, what better way than to resurrect Red Bank's once-beloved, more recently dormant, car cruise, they thought.

But while Woods, who belies his efforts and chalks his car show organizational skills up only to having a few connections to the classic car world, is more than capable of bringing the cars downtown, he's made a concerted effort to ensure that no car show will ever just be, well, for show.

Whether its raising money to fund a scholarship, or to pay for a sick child's medical treatment, car shows for a cause might as well be Wood's mantra, even if he's not willing to take credit for it.

"Car people, they're truly a family," he said. "You put the word out there and they'll do anything they can to help."

Take, for instance, Red Bank's recent car cruise. After reviving the cruise last year, Woods was asked to bring it back once again. When he agreed, he did so on the condition that the show would raise money for a good cause and that local businesses would participate. After a discussion with Red Bank RiverCenter and willing business owners, it was set. 

Proceeds from last week's car cruise went to help pay the medical bills of a employee whose 5-year-old son who is currently battling bone cancer for the second time in his young life. When it comes to cruisers, Woods said during the show last week, generous is a word that comes up often.

That's hardly the only example, either. Last helped raise funds for the American Liver Foundation. The annual raises money for the Red Bank Volunteer Fire Department company's scholarship program. When the car cruise comes back to Red Bank this August, proceeds from that event will benefit yet another charity.

It's not easy putting together a single car show, let alone the three he's organizing this year, but when it invokes charity, Woods feels a bit more responsible for putting in the extra effort.