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ISLAND LAKE – Businesses often find ways to help out good causes.
Sharp Auto Body in Island Lake is no exception.
The car repair shop – which will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 22 – recently painted a retired fire engine pink for Pink Heals, a nonprofit that works under The Guardians of the Ribbon organization – a group of firefighters, police officers and community leaders who raise awareness about cancer.
Steve Rusin of Island Lake founded the Northern Illinois chapter of Pink Heals and said driving his pink truck – which tours the nation donning hundreds of signatures of female cancer patients, survivors or women who have been directly impacted by cancer – is a good way to enter a community.
“Everybody embraces a firetruck no matter what color it is,” he said, noting that the pink trucks of Pink Heals aren’t just for breast cancer awareness, but for cancer awareness in general. “They look at it as a positive thing.”
Sharp Auto Body owner Louie Sharp said he had never painted a fire truck pink before, but when he learned about Pink Heals, he was eager to help out.
“At first, I thought he was kidding,” Sharp said of Rusin. “And then he had a photo album with him and he also had me pull up his Facebook page … and when I realized he wasn’t kidding and he explained what they do, I said I’d be more than happy to participate.”
Sharp and his employees patched holes, repaired rust spots and sanded the entire body of the truck, Sharp said. His shop’s paint supplier, Metro Paint, donated the paint for the truck, and after a week and a half of labor by Sharp employees, the fire truck – which had belonged to the Lakewood Fire Department in McHenry County – was a bright, shiny pink.
Rusin said he estimated the job would have cost $25,000.
Wauconda firefighter Dan Marsek, president of Antique Cruisers in Fox Lake, then donated all of the detail work, Rusin said.
“It’s been a total labor of love,” Rusin said. “It’s kind of brought our community together.”
Two weeks after the fire truck left Sharp's shop, Rusin brought it back so the community could see it.
There were more than 200 signatures on it, Sharp said, and the truck had only been to three events.
“It was unbelievable to me that there were so many names on it already, and it’s hard to read it without breaking down completely and sobbing,” Sharp said. “And I know it’s cliche, but it makes us realize how lucky we are.”
Another way community members can help out cancer awareness organizations is to get a car wash at his shop on the remaining Saturday mornings in October.
All of the proceeds from a wash will go toward Pink Heals, he said.
That’s a help to Rusin, who said his truck has no sponsors. T-shirt sales usually pay for everything needed to tour in the pink truck, including gas and maintenance.
“I think that everybody can make a difference, and I don’t think anyone can ever underestimate the importance of a smile or a hug or handshake,” Sharp said. “Those are the things that have the power to change the world. It doesn’t have to be as big as painting a fire engine pink.”
Want to help out?
Sharp Auto Body isn't done helping out the Pink Heals Foundation.
The repair shop will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from its Saturday morning car washes to the foundation throughout the month of October.
The car wash includes an exterior hand car wash, window cleaning and interior vacuuming for $19.95.
What: Car washes that benefit Pink Heals
When: 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 15, 22 and 19
Where: Sharp Auto Body, 227 W. State Road, in Island Lake
Contact: 847-526-1343
To learn more about Pink Heals and the Guardians of the Ribbon, visit www.pinkfiretrucks.org.
To learn more about the Northern Illinois chapter, visit www.facebook.com/#!/PinkHealsNorthernIL.