The non-profit HopeDriven organization held its fourth annual HeRow Expo at William Byrd
High School on Saturday, April 13– a car, truck, and powersports show where all proceeds are
donated to a child with a life-threatening illness.
Vinton surpassed all previous years in raising funds for a child with a life-threatening illness.
This year’s event was held at William Byrd High School. (photo courtesy of HopeDriven)
According to organizers, they are essentially “driven” to help children and their families “find
hope in their darkest moments and most difficult of times.” The HopeDriven goal is to have a
significant impact on the financial burden these families endure and to “provide them with
another reason to fight when they see so many people within their community come together to
support them in their time of need. We also know that we can’t possibly help every single family
in need, but we can do our part to help as many as we can.”
Each year Mandy Price helps HeRow Expo select the sponsored child for the fundraising event.
She lost her daughter, Rowan, in 2019 to leukemia. Rowan’s spirit and enthusiasm led to the
formation of HopeDriven. The HeRow Expo is held each year to honor the impact she had on the
community.
This year, the fundraiser benefits 8-year-old Tripp Poats of Roanoke, who was originally
diagnosed with leukemia in September 2019 at the age of 3 and underwent 2-1/2 years of
chemotherapy. Tripp and his family enjoyed a cancer-free year and a half until his leukemia
relapsed in September of 2023. He began treatment locally and suffered some major
complications that caused him to be admitted to the hospital and eventually the PICU in
Roanoke. His family made the decision to have him transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
to recover from complications and to continue treatment.
Tripp returned home recently after an inpatient stay of 142 days. He’s doing much better but is
still dealing with some of the side effects from the complications around his treatment. He will
return to Cincinnati periodically to receive stronger chemotherapies but can take many of the
medications at home. He will receive a total of 2-1/2 years of treatment yet again.
Awards are presented in several categories at the HeRow Expo events: the Top 30 in show,
People’s Choice, Best Stance/Fitment, and Rowan’s Choice (selected by the sponsored family
and given to the overall best vehicle in show).
According to Kevin Jenkins, president of HopeDriven, “We opened the gates early and started
registering vehicles at 4:45 and didn’t finish until after 7:30 p.m. We actually had to shut down
registration so judges would have time to score all the vehicles before the awards were presented.
We’ve never had this issue before, but it was incredible to witness and experience.
“Officially, we registered 202 car show vehicles on Saturday. However, there were north of 230
vehicles inside the parking lot as there were several dozen that didn’t register. This officially makes it the largest HopeDriven car show in our five-year history of the organization. In addition, we filled up all spectator parking and had to open an entire other section of spectators to fit everyone in.
“We are speechless. We are humbled. We are thankful. This does NOT happen without an
incredible community of supporters.”
Organizer Joyce Jenkins says, “It was one of the largest shows in its five-year history. So many
car enthusiasts and fans came out for an 8-year-old with cancer. Such an amazing night!”
While the car show has come and passed, the fundraiser is NOT closed. For information on how
to donate, visit the HopeDriven or HeRow Expo 4 Facebook pages.
~Vinton Messenger staff report
