Donor Stories: Dave and Susie Homer
On Feb. 3, 2008, Susie and Dave Homer, the owners of Pete's Brass Rail & Car Wash, a bar and restaurant in Danville, Calif., hosted over 75 people at their second annual Super Bowl fundraiser and raised $30,000 for Autism Speaks, which represents an increase of over 200% over the previous year. Elizabeth Emken, vice president of government relations for Autism Speaks, was on hand to support the event and greet families.
Dave was an employee at Pete's for fifteen years before he and his wife Susie bought the restaurant three years ago, and it was important to
Dave was an employee at Pete's for fifteen years before he and his wife Susie bought the restaurant three years ago, and it was important to
Susie and Dave Homer, owners of Pete's Brass Rail & Car Wash
him that Pete's continue to support causes in the community. The restaurant's previous owners had been long-time supporters of The Danny Foundation, which had recently closed, and Dave and Susie were looking for new causes to support. When their son Casey was diagnosed with autism at age three, Dave and Susie chose to support Cure Autism Now.
Casey is now almost seven and Cure Autism Now has merged with Autism Speaks, but Susie and Dave continue their fundraising efforts. According to Susie, among the guest at this year's event were members of eight or nine families touched by autism in one way or another. Susie attributes the success of this year's event to “the great people of Danville, to Pete's regulars who support them, and also to increased awareness of autism in the community at large.” Also this year, in addition to selling tickets to the party, Dave and Susie pursued sponsorships from businesses in the community. And next year, they plan to do it all again. According to Susie, “This was a real ‘feel good' type of day. Everybody had a great time, everybody has been hearing about it, and we definitely plan to do it again.”
Special thanks to the following companies and individuals for their generous donations and support of this event: Dave & Susie Homer; Roger & Judy Haughton; Ron & Faye Abbes; Leo Hartford, Inc.; Andy's Tee Shirts, Inc.; Allied Waste Services; Pete's Brass Rail & Car Wash; and U.S. Foodservice.
Casey is now almost seven and Cure Autism Now has merged with Autism Speaks, but Susie and Dave continue their fundraising efforts. According to Susie, among the guest at this year's event were members of eight or nine families touched by autism in one way or another. Susie attributes the success of this year's event to “the great people of Danville, to Pete's regulars who support them, and also to increased awareness of autism in the community at large.” Also this year, in addition to selling tickets to the party, Dave and Susie pursued sponsorships from businesses in the community. And next year, they plan to do it all again. According to Susie, “This was a real ‘feel good' type of day. Everybody had a great time, everybody has been hearing about it, and we definitely plan to do it again.”
Special thanks to the following companies and individuals for their generous donations and support of this event: Dave & Susie Homer; Roger & Judy Haughton; Ron & Faye Abbes; Leo Hartford, Inc.; Andy's Tee Shirts, Inc.; Allied Waste Services; Pete's Brass Rail & Car Wash; and U.S. Foodservice.
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If you have a story you wish to tell about choosing to donate to or raising money for Autism Speaks, we'd like to hear from you. Please e-mail us at editors@autismspeaks.org.
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