​​

       Each year, Rite Aid Pharmacy ran a campaign where they raised money for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). The campaign usually ran for 6 weeks in the spring and the company encouraged employees to ask customers if they would like to donate to CMN at the register. Some stores would have a friendly competition where they compete to raise the most money at their store. Employees at the store would come together and have small events such as bake sales or car washes. In 2014, that is exactly what Chuck Mahla and his coworkers did. They held car washes and bake sales during the campaign, raising a few hundred dollars, but when store manger Sue Ray, who was like a second mother to Mahla, passed away during the summer of 2014, he knew he “wanted to do something bigger and better for CMN in her honor.”

​

      2015 came around and Chuck Mahla wanted to do something bigger and better during the campaign. In just 17 days, him and his coworkers hosted the first CMN Car Show at his high school, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It attracted over 85 cars and they were able to raise $1,500 for the kids at Hopkins. He returned in 2016 and with the help of Michael McKinney and Vince Schiavone they put on a second show for CMN. Rite Aid associates also helped in this 4 hour event which raised $5,005 for the kids. 2017 brought many obstacles. The show was originally scheduled for April, but rain had pushed it back to June 25th. Also, the venue was changed to Lockheed Martin in Baltimore for more space since last year’s show sold out with over 200 cars in attendance. June’s show featured over 330 cars on display, over 500 in spectators, 40 volunteers, 20 vendors, and $15,000 raised in 4 hours.

​

       Last year, 2018 was bigger than anyone ever expected. With only 28 cars preregistered two weeks before the show, the crowd was expected to be smaller than any of the previous shows, however the gorgeous spring morning brought over 400 vehicles to register and hundreds of spectators showed up. The CMN Car Show crew raised over $32,000 for Hopkins.

       

       This year, 2019, will be our first year as our own non-profit organization raising money for the kids. The show will no longer be hosted under the Rite Aid campaign, however the proceeds will continue to go to the kids at Hopkins. It has been an incredible experience. Our goal is to bring the community together and encourage others to reach out and give back where they can. We just try to do our part and make a difference for the kids. We are forever grateful of everyone's support over the years. We are currently planning for 2019 and can’t wait to see what the future holds.