National Auto Body Council Pledges $500,000 Donation To Help Children With Cancer

    DETROIT, April 30 The National Auto Body Council (NABC),
the group encompassing the auto collision industry, has announced their pledge
to raise $500,000 for Camp Mak-A-Dream, a camp for children with cancer
located in Missoula, Mont.
    Camp Mak-A-Dream is a non-profit organization started by Michigan
residents Harry and Sylvia Granader.  The Granaders donated 87 acres of their
working ranch land in Montana to build the camp.  This national fund raising
effort by the NABC will be coordinated through the Children's Oncology Camp
Foundation / Camp Mak-A-Dream foundation office in Montana.
    The $500,000 campaign will run through December 2002 and the funds will
help build a state of the art medical facility for the Camp.  Marco Grossi,
president of the National Auto Body Council, presented the idea for the
campaign at the national board meeting two weeks ago where it was unanimously
approved.
    "This is a passionate cause for me, and apparently I'm not alone ... the
response from my colleagues has been overwhelming," said Grossi.
    Primarily a grassroots campaign, the money will be raised by individual
collision businesses in a variety of ways all across the nation.  The means of
fund raising will range from direct donations to benefit events.
    "We are a very well-connected group and I have every confidence that we
will meet this goal quite easily," said Mark Claypool, executive director of
the NABC.
    Grossi, owner and president of Collision Craftsmen, has been involved with
the Michigan Chapter of Friends of Camp Mak-A-Dream since 1999 when he began
an annual fund raising dinner sponsored by his company.  The enthusiasm for
the event has snowballed, and this year Grossi's event tripled the amount of
money raised last year.
    "This started as a personal goal; I simply wanted to increase the amount
of money we were able to give to the children ... I never dreamed my efforts
would lead to a national campaign so quickly," said Grossi.
    The Michigan Chapter of Friends of Camp Mak-A-Dream provides assistance
for children and young adults with cancer to attend camp in Montana.  Each
summer, the camp offers numerous weeklong sessions for children (ages 6-17)
and young adults (ages 18-25) with cancer.  This experience is offered to them
cost-free and made possible, in part, to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers
who give of their time and energy to help at camp either as cabin counselors,
program activity assistants or even as doctors or nurses on our medical staff.
    Camp Mak-A-Dream includes many popular activities such as swimming,
campfires, horseback riding, river rafting, archery and more, plus a
supportive and intimate atmosphere that allows these children to feel normal
and make new friends at camp.  A week at the Camp helps build self-esteem,
self-confidence and a sense of independence.
    For more information, contact Camp Mak-A-Dream at 406-549-5987 or visit
the Web site at: http://www.campdream.org

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