Cooperative Living August 2018 - 38

Co-opPeople | Story by Mary Howell, Contributing Writer
NOVEC director's passion
for classic cars fuels popular
Labor Day fundraiser
E
very weekend from late May until early
September, classic-car lovers all across
Virginia meet to show off their rides.
While many of these gatherings are informal,
one of the state's most popular events, the
Labor Day Car Show in the City of Fairfax,
has grown to include 300 cars of all
vintages and last year attracted more than
6,000 spectators.
This popular event was started by Jim
Chesley, a Northern Virginia Electric
Cooperative (NOVEC) board member and
current vice chairman. But his Labor Day
Car Show has become much more than a
gathering of car enthusiasts. It's also the engine
that has generated more than $400,000 in
contributions to local charities in recent years.
The car show got its start in 2000 when
Chesley was serving as mayor of the Town
of Clifton. With support from fellow Clifton
Lions Club members, he persuaded his
Custom Cruisers car club to host a classiccar
gathering on Labor Day.
" The first few years, we were just 20 to 25
vehicles in the parking lot of Heart and Hand
Restaurant, " he recalls. While some doubted
Chesley's choice of a Monday holiday, the
timing proved popular.
" By the third year, more and more car
owners wanted to participate. We began
charging a $10 registration fee, " Chesley
continues. " When registration fees topped
$1,000, I asked my fellow club members to
recommend deserving local charities we
could help with our proceeds. "
One of Chesley's friends suggested INOVA
Health System's Life with Cancer program,
which helps the families and friends of those
facing cancer by providing information,
education and support free of charge,
regardless of where treatment is received.
Chesley, whose father had cancer, explains,
" Life with Cancer has been an integral part
of our local health care community since
1986. I've visited children receiving cancer
treatment, and it's hard not to leave with
tears in your eyes. "
Because INOVA Health covers salaries
for the staff who run " Life with Cancer, "
100 percent of the Labor Day Car Show's
donations are used for program costs.
36 | Cooperative Living | August 2018
Inspired by the car show's increasing
popularity, Chesley also started writing letters
to local businesses, participants and others
seeking tax-deductible contributions. He has
been so successful that these donations began
to far outstrip the cost of hosting the car show,
its registration fee is now $20. Chesley
expanded his donations to support both local
and national programs, including Hunters
for the Hungry and victims of Hurricane
Katrina in 2005.
" We've been all over the map when it comes
to organizations we've supported, " he says.
In recent years, however, the car show's
philanthropic focus has centered on two local
groups, Life with Cancer and the Northern
Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program.
In 2015, as Clifton's Labor Day Car Show
began to outgrow its hometown, Fairfax
County officials approached Chesley about
moving the show to their city, where it has
since been held. " Local restaurants and stores
are delighted by the flood of visitors! "
Chesley says.
While a majority of Labor Day Car Show
entrants are vintage, there are no restrictions
on what types of vehicles can participate.
Chesley recalls, " One year, a young lady asked
me if she could enter her rusty Datsun in the
show. " I replied, 'Sure, just add some duct tape
where it's needed!' " Each year's entries are
eligible for a number of awards, determined
by polling the registered car owners, which
include " Top 20, " as well as " Mayor's Choice, "
" Ladies' Choice, " " Fire Department Choice "
and even " Best Back Seat, " a category that
gives Chesley a chuckle.
Asked how his love of cars got started,
Chesley recounts how in 1954, he helped his
brother rebuild the motor on a Dodge sedan.
" When we were done, we had a bunch
of leftover parts, but the engine still ran! "
His first car was a 1962 Ford Galaxy
convertible, and he's owned classic cars from
this era ever since. Chesley's record of
community service also dates back to
his childhood.
" I was a Boy Scout and we were taught to
help others and give back when we could, "
he explains.
As the Town of Clifton's longest
To support one of the Labor Day Car Show's
two main charities, Jim Chesley is selling
1/64-scale die-cast replicas of the #23
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series " Life with Cancer "
collectible model car, with all proceeds to
benefit the Life with Cancer program.
continuously serving mayor, from 19922006,
Chesley worked tirelessly to seek out
grants and opportunities, often traveling to
Richmond to meet with various officials. In
2001, while volunteering on NOVEC's
Operation Roundup Committee, Chesley
was approached about serving on NOVEC's
board of directors. He agreed to run, and
NOVEC members elected him. Chesley has
served on various board committees and is
an active member of the Communications
& Public Relations Committee for the
Virginia Maryland & Delaware Association
of Electric Cooperatives, publishers of
Cooperative Living.
Last year, inspired by a NASCAR owner
who wrapped his Sprint Cup Series race car
with the " Life with Cancer " emblem along
with providing a generous donation, Chesley
commissioned miniature die-cast replicas of
the #23 " Life with Cancer " Sprint Cup Series
race car driven by David Ragan at the Citizen
Soldier 400 in Dover, Delaware, on Oct. 16,
2016. Plenty of these 1/64-scale die-cast cars
are still available, either at INOVA hospital
gift shops or directly through Chesley for
$10 each, plus shipping.
" All payments are tax-deductible and 100
percent of the proceeds will benefit Life with
Cancer, " he says, noting that the model cars
make great stocking stuffers. To order, contact
him at (703) 830-2129 or jcchesley@aol.com.
Chesley says, " If you're in the Fairfax
area on Sept. 3, why not swing by 4081
University Drive to check out one of
Virginia's most impressive arrays of classic
cars, and all for the best of causes! " 
www.co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM CHESLEY
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living August 2018

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