NK Danced & Drove For Successful Fundraiser

North Kingstown fundraising took a high-heeled step up from yard sales and raffles this week with the two-day Wickford Heels and Wheels event to benefit A Wish Come True.

More than 200 people bought tickets at $95 each for the sold-out Friday night gala in a flower-filled tent at the . They were greeted by a photographer at the red-carpeted entrance, placed bids for an assortment of items available at the silent auction, danced to music from The Felix Brown Band and enjoyed a buffet dinner.

The next day, action moved outdoors to the Wickford town parking lot, where 70 proud car buffs showed off their new and restored vehicles, then steered them in a procession to the sunny town beach for a family tailgate party.

“It’s the kind of thing we need,” said Robert Cioe, owner of Wickford Junction Plaza. He and his wife attended the Friday gala and returned Saturday to display his restored vintage Buick as part of the car show “We need more functions that involve more people,” Cioe said.

Wickford Junction Associates was a silver sponsor for Heels and Wheels, and Cioe credited his support to the persuasive voice of Toby Aaron, proprietor of The Wickford Collection. While Heels and Wheels was sponsored by the , Aaron served as the volunteer chair and rounded up an impressive roster of local businesses as sponsors. “I liked the way he talked,” Cioe recalled.

Karla Driscoll, executive director of the chamber, said she was very pleased with the results. “It’s the first time we’ve done something like this,” she said. In addition to cash sponsors, many local businesses donated in-kind support, she noted.

A Wish Come True, headquartered in Warwick, was founded 28 years ago to help relieve stress for families in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts who have children with life-threatening illnesses. Each year the organization helps about 12 children between the ages of three and 18 by granting a special “wish.” According to the organization’s website, wishes range from purchasing computers through family trips to meeting celebrities.

Fulfilling a wish costs an average of $4,000 to $5,000, and the chamber’s target with Heels and Wheels was underwriting three wishes. “It looks we did three, maybe four,” Driscoll reported Saturday afternoon.

While participants appeared to enjoy both days, putting the event together demanded a lot from the small cadre of organizers.

“We will be doing this again,” Driscoll said Saturday, “but we will need more volunteers.”