Charity Starts At Home For Rocky Top Power Run
By organizer Matt Rogers’ own description, the first Rocky Top Power Run on Tennessee’s Norris was a casually structured affair he “put together in a few days.” But that was last year. The second-year event, which is set for this Friday and Saturday, has a presenting sponsor in the form of Cigarette of Kentucky as well as multiple supporting backers including Good Boy Vodka, and has hired photographer Jeff Helmkamp to capture the 100-plus registered boat fleet.
The only missing element for the event, at least until this week, was a worthy cause to support.
Presented by Cigarette of Kentucky, the Rocky Top Power Run has added a fundraising element. Photo courtesy/copyright Black Label Imagery.
Now Rogers has committed to donate funds raised during the event to a GoFundMe campaign for the family of William Avina, an avid member of the local boating community who died following a tragic accident last month. Rogers said he will donate “all profits” from the event as well as “all proceeds made from blind extra-card draw” to the fund.
“It’s the right thing to do, plain and simple,” he explained. “That family is in need and has so many things to worry about right now. They do not need to be worried about monetary troubles on top of everything else they are going through.
“They are a super-deserving family and have personally told me they will donate anything they do not absolutely need to St. Judes in both of our names,” he continued. “That right there tells me enough about who they are as people—and that we found the right cause for this year’s event.”
Tiffany Crawford, who co-founded Cigarette of Kentucky with Paul Michael Ison, her fiancé, counted Avina and his fiancé, Leslie Young, among her most cherished friends. So the new Cigarette dealership’s involvement the event is particularly significant for her.
“I’ve known William and Leslie for about 10 years and I can’t say enough good things about them,” she said. “From off-roading to boating to grilling in the garage, you always felt welcome and at home when you were around them. They were the friends you prayed you never lost—the couple you hoped to be one day. They raised three amazing kids that share their loving and compassionate nature. Having lost my father at a young age, I would never wish this on anyone.
“William was a one in a million in every way,” she added. “The world is a lesser place without him.”
The late William Avina and Leslie Young.
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