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“Tucson Classics Show is the vehicle by which the members of the are able to empower these amazing people in Tucson who are making a huge difference in our community,” said Dave White, a 13-year Rotarian and chair of the upcoming event.

Recognized as one of the largest classic car shows in Southern Arizona, with a field of more than 420 vehicles, Tucson Classics will celebrate its 19th Annual show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Gregory School Campus, 3231 N. Craycroft Rd.

A self-proclaimed car enthusiast who bought a ’41 Packard Convertible Coupe in his teens and restored it with the help of his dad, White is happy to channel his passion into philanthropy for the community.

The car show, which attracts entries from throughout Arizona, has gained popularity amongst both car owners and attendees for showcasing primarily classic cars that have been restored to their authentic glory. The show features 31 different classes of cars and trucks, ranging from Vintage Cars through 1936, to 1931-36 Street Rods to 1950-59 Modified and Stock Cars to 1960 to 1970 Trucks and Jeeps and much more.

“Our car show is extremely well-run and people love it,” White said. “We have more than 20,000 people come on that one Saturday to the show, and it takes about 600 volunteers to pull it off. Our club is about 240 members, so we recruit spouses, friends, neighbors, schools and volunteers from our beneficiaries.”

He is particularly excited this year about the “Special Display” of Cord corporation cars, including a 1933 Auburn Salon Speedster and a 1937 Cord Sportsman, which is “an early front wheel drive car.”

White said the Salon “Boattail” Speedster is one of only five left from the 14 originally made.

“It won first place at Pebble Beach and Daytona. It is just a beautiful car. . .the coattail design gave it 10 miles per hour more speed because it reduced the drag and eliminated the vacuum behind the car so other cars couldn’t drag off of it,” said White.

Ultimately, the incredible cars are not the only attraction for the 20,000 people expected to attend on the day of the show, according to White.

“What really sets us apart is that it is 100% to benefit local high-impact organizations that provide community development,” said White. “After 18 years, we have raised almost $3 million, and all of the proceeds go to organizations that we screen as a club and vote on because they are making change in our community.”

This marks the third consecutive year that Tucson Classics will support the Pima Community College Center of Opportunity; it has gifted more than $192,000 to the program over the past two years to the Workforce Training Program at the Humberto S. Lopez Family Foundation Center of Opportunity campus.

“This is a fantastic partnership between the Pima Community College vocational training division and the Gospel Rescue Mission, which screens people through the Center of Opportunity, and provides vocational training and helps people to find jobs,” said White.

The program focuses on training participants in high-demand employment areas, including Information Technology, Culinary Arts, Building and Construction and Commercial Truck Driving.

A second beneficiary, JobPath, supports the success of low-income students pursuing associate degrees and certificates leading to in-demand, high-wage careers in the healthcare, industrial trades, and IT industries.

White said their success is impressive, with an average of 90% of participants completing programs and 85% attaining jobs that earn an average of $50,000 a year plus benefits.

“We want to support programs that are making a substantial, foundational difference in the community. We aim at helping people to fish instead of just giving them fish,” said White.

That foundational difference is also exhibited by the Amphi Foundation ECHO (Educational Community Home Outreach) Program at Nash and Keeling Elementary Schools. The program, which seeks to tackle barriers to academic and non-academic success through before and after-school programs for elementary school students, offers learning opportunities and health and wellness support for children and their families.

“They use the schools as stepping stones to partner with families and find out how to help families be more functional so the kids are successful at home and at school. The idea is to reduce absenteeism and drop out rates and eliminate problems that set kids back in their journeys toward adulthood,” said White.

Interestingly, the ECHO Program has found that one contributing factor to absenteeism is a lack of laundry facilities; when children don’t have clean clothes, they won’t go to school. By providing access to laundry facilities, ECHO helps to reduce absenteeism.

“We are constantly looking for complex solutions, and sometimes the solutions are simple, but it takes someone who is dedicated and goes in and listens to the people who are involved,” White said. “This is an innovative partnership between schools and the community, and they are making significant progress.”