The effects of cancer are far-reaching. For Dan Neve, this terrible disease put his life on a different path. When his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer within a month, he set out to do what he could to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. He bought a 2010 Shelby GT500 as a literal vehicle for his mission and Cruise for a Cause was born, and years of fund-raising resulted.
“‘Life-changing’ is the easiest way to describe it,” Neve said. “Knowing that others trust you with their money to do good means so much. I was once told that I was a ‘perfect example of what one person can do.’ Without the support of so many, I could not do any of the wonderful things that we have done.”
Last year his efforts generated a whopping $200,000, which benefitted two charities, and this year he hopes to outdo that impressive success.
“I am extremely surprised. I only thought that I would fundraise for one year, let alone now in our 12th. When you truly believe in something and put all of your energy and time into it, things truly can happen,” Neve said. “The car community is such a great group of individuals and have such big hearts, that once you do something like this for a few years you make a connection with so many and become friends and family with them. Cancer has impacted us all and when you share your story and they realize that you truly care about them and their story, the connection is easy.”
“I have been following Billy and his racing career for a while now and when we hosted our first Mustangs on a Mission event, I asked if he would be one of our guests? He agreed and after that, we had a connection. Then I twisted his arm to attend our annual Fall Ford Fest the first weekend of October in Wisconsin, as our VIP speaker at the Saturday banquet and he graciously said ‘yes’ to that as well,” Neve said. “One of the exciting things we host — besides a day on track at Road America — is our autocross event, during which Billy gave rides during our most recent sweepstakes Shelby GT500s — the Hope Signature Edition. Following this, we discussed doing a special car that he would be proud to add his name to. I am excited with what this more track-focused car will be, and all of the good we will achieve with it.”
“I worked with engineers and the main development drivers on almost every aspect of the car,” Johnson recalled. “Simply put, I gave driving feedback from my experience and proposed ideas based on my knowledge to help assist these talented guys to achieve levels of performance, handling, and driveability that just should not be possible for a heavy car that doesn't have fancy and expensive components used on the performance-target cars that cost two to three times as much and weighed less. But we beat them.”
The lucky winner might actually get to learn how to get the most out of the car from its namesake. “I would absolutely give any tips and driving advice to whoever wins this awesome car,” Johnson added.
If you use THIS LINK, you will score 50-percent more entries with your ticket purchase. Entries close on the same day as the drawing, Dec 21, 2022, and the raffle benefits two great causes — the Marshfield Clinic Health Systems Research Department as well as the UW Carbone Cancer Center.
