94 // MECUM.COM CAR CLUB OF THE MONTH To submit a club for consideration as an upcoming featured Car Club, please send a link to the club’s website (if applicable) and include with the submission the name and location of the club as well as the full first and last name, email address and/or phone number of a club leader or spokesperson who can supply the necessary information and imagery. Submissions may be emailed to [email protected], or mailed in hard-copy or flash-drive form to: Mecum Auctions 445 South Main Street Walworth, WI 53184 ATTN: Mecum Magazine Submission SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ARIZONA EAST VALLEY MUSTANG CLUB When Victoria Rushefsky’s mother, Lucy, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over seven years ago, Victoria and her husband, Steve, felt compelled to help raise money and get involved with related charitable organizations in an effort to become part of a healing force for those affected by the threatening disease. “What can we do more of to be involved? What do you enjoy doing?” Victoria asked Steve in 2018. “I told her that I loved cars. My first Mustang in 1977 was a ‘68,” Steve said. “Then Victoria had an idea: how about we start a club?” From there, the Arizona East Valley Mustang Club (AEVMC) was born. A small initial group of just 30 members with a goal to spread Alzheimer’s awareness and charitable efforts eventually turned into over 600 members, all of whom consider their fellow peers as more than just Mustang enthusiasts. “We’re a big family more than anything,” Steve, who now serves as club president, said. “It’s more than the cars. It’s the people.” As Arizona’s largest Mustang club to date, the AEVMC has become exceptionally popular in the short span of five years since its inception. “We had no idea that the AEVMC would grow so quickly,” Steve said, reminiscing on how such a small idea eventually turned into a massive following. “We never thought it would get this big. Now we have one big family made up of people who encourage conversation, friendship, love and leadership. It’s not too often you find a club where people say, ‘I love you,’ when they part ways.” Setting a great example as a well-oiled car club, the AEVMC organizes and participates in car shows, fundraisers and events designed to provide an exciting atmosphere with a wisp of positivity for important causes near and dear to many, donating to crucial charities such as Big Brothers and Sisters of America and the Joey Logano Foundation. “We recently participated in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Phoenix, Arizona, where we had 42 member cars, and kids had the chance to sit in the back of our Mustangs and other parade vehicles. That was so much fun for them,” Steve said. “During the Christmas season, we work with House of Refuge, Inc. in Mesa, Arizona, which is a faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a community that includes 88 two- bedroom homes that the organization rents to families experiencing homelessness. That organization is helping families overcome homelessness, become self-sufficient and move to more sustainable housing. We also participate in a parade where we bring presents for those associated with House of Refuge, and we display our white-on- white Mustang ‘Lucy,’ named after Victoria’s mother, that we have wrapped to promote Alzheimer’s awareness, filling that with gifts as well.” Along with annual parades and gift-giving occasions, the AEVMC continues to give members the high-adrenaline events that round out a successful car club, such as a recent voyage dedicated to the memory of 9/11, where members took a cruise down By Brian Thalhammer
