From left, Der Kobblers Car Club members, John Ling, Randy Hutley, Lionel McCauley, Jon Davis, Julie Davis, Sue Fox, and Brad Paulson hold a check the club donated Tuesday to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation to help fight back against cancer. Submitted photo

When members of the Der Kobblers Car Club were looking for a place to donate, they didn’t have to look very far outside of their own circle.

A check for $2,000 was made out to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation after the successful completion of the Der Knobblers yearly car show held during Labor Day weekend. This year’s show took place at Midway State Park, 4859 Route 430 and had a reported large turnout of around or about 450 people.

“We’ve had several members who have passed away from cancer or are cancer survivors,” said Sam Ognibene, the car club’s treasurer. “We have some members who have been able to ring the victory bell at Roswell. So, this donation hits close to home for us.”

Ognibene said, “The club was founded in 1958, and a lot of our older members have passed away because of cancer, and several of our members suffer from diabetes, including my own children.”

According to roswellpark.org, the tradition of ringing the Victory Bell is an important way to celebrate victories over cancer. The bell represents a different milestone for each patient. Some patients ring the bell after completion of chemotherapy or radiation. Others ring the bell after surgery. Many patients living with cancer ring the bell to signify their ongoing survivorship.

Ognibene said the car club has hosted this show for close to 20 years and it has become a staple for the club’s fundraising efforts. Intermittently, the club’s show has changed locations during its two decade run.

The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that in 2021, 1,777,566 new cancer cases were reported. In 2022, 608,366 people died of cancer. California, Florida, Texas and New York have the highest rates of cancer and deaths directly related to cancer in the U.S.

For more information visit cancerstatisticscenter.cancer.org or visit cdc.gov.