By ZACH STIPE
LORDSTOWN — Filled with excitement, Gregory Jones buried his face in his hands as he stood on stage at General Motors' Lordstown Complex.
Jones, 14, had just learned that his wish to take his family to Disney World had been granted, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Auto Workers Local 1112 and Lordstown GM.
"I'm just so happy," Jones, of Youngstown, said at the complex's 40th anniversary celebration. "I've been wanting to go there ever since I can remember."
Jones was diagnosed with cancer last October, but the disease is now in remission. His grandparents, Douglas and Caroline Richardson, couldn't be happier.
"This is one of the happiest days of our lives," Caroline Richardson said.
Jim Bumgardner, materials manager at the Lordstown plant, heads the complex's Make-A-Wish efforts. He said all proceeds from the anniversary event and car show will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He noted that every $6,000 the event brings in will grant a wish.
"It's just a thrill," he said, adding that the anniversary celebration was set up strictly by volunteers.
Cindy Illencik and Lolly Kordic also worked hard over the past two months to make Gregory's wish a reality. The two volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as "wish granters."
"We are with such a wonderful organization," Kordic said. "[Make-A-Wish] lets kids escape the hospital and lets them be kids."
Last year, Lordstown GM, UAW and Leonard's Truck and Trailer Inc. granted Emily Weber's wish by giving the leukemia survivor and pony-owner a horse trailer.
Weber, of Chagrin Falls, attended Saturday's event with her family. The 14-year-old's mother, Gail, spoke at the show, expressing her gratitude and the positive impact the wish has had on her family's life.
"Every single day, when we see the trailer, my family says a prayer for all of you [at the GM plant]," she said.
Celebrating history
More than 600 cars were on display over the two-day event, including many models built at the Lordstown plant.
Event coordinator Jeff Rollison of the UAW said the event was a great success. He figured that close to 10,000 people probably attended, and called it the biggest car show in the area. Rollison said that nearly every model of car built at the plant was represented.
The first Chevrolet Vega produced was shipped down to Lordstown from a museum in Detroit. The baby blue Vega was created at the GM plant in 1970.
Stationed right next to it were Tim and Sandy Wagner, who brought their yellow Lordstown-built 1971 Vega to the show. The couple, of Brookpark, frequent as many as five car shows a week.
Tim said he brought the car to Lordstown to show what a good job the plant did in building the vehicle.
"It's still running," he said with a grin.
Mike DelDuca drove his 1966 Chevrolet Impala all the way from his home in Loveland, Colo. The Impala is the first car model produced by the Lordstown plant.
"I'm a hometown guy," DelDuca, a Warren native, said. "I thought it'd be nice to bring it here."
Other attractions
The event was filled with other fun and exciting attractions:
The Chevy Cobalt Racing Team showed off their race cars and awards.
A UAW GM Motorsports tent provided attendees with a look at souped-up truck engines and brought a pair of decommissioned NASCAR vehicles. The exhibit also had a radio-controlled racetrack where people could race miniature NASCAR replicas.
The Tiger Woods Hospitality Trailer made a stop. The trailer travels all across the United States to PGA tour events. All day long, a steady line of people waited to get a virtual picture with Tiger Woods.
The event's main purpose, though, was to raise money for Make-A-Wish and kids like Jones and Weber.
Julie Scarsella, development officer of Make-A-Wish for the tri-county area, clearly enjoyed the event. After Jones' wish was granted, Scarsella was unable wipe the grin from her face.
"This is why I do what I do," she said. "It's just an awesome job."