More than $75,000 raised in the past decade at the annual classic car show

Riverside, Ca. – On Sunday, May 20, hot rods enthusiasts from all over Southern California gathered at the 10^th Annual Phil Braybrooks Memorial Car Show, one of the largest classic car shows in SoCal featuring music, food, games and raffle prizes, held at the J&M Speed Center in Riverside. Founded in 2008, this event pays tribute to Phil Braybrooks, an Inland Empire resident who was inducted into San Bernardino’s hot rodding hall of fame and named the Dale Earnhardt man of the year. Over the past decade, the car show has raised $75,000 for Southern California Hospice Foundation (SCHF), a nonprofit whose mission is to help enhance the quality of life for those at the end-of-life.

Braybrooks, who served as an Air Force mechanic during the Korean War, was a car fanatic who helped build the region’s hot rodding reputation and pioneered the concept of  high-performance parts shops. . He opened his first muffler shop in 1957 and in 1961, he opened a speed shop in Riverside and named it J&M Speed Center to reflect the store’s transformation from a muffler shop. Toward the end of his career, Mr. Braybrooks was inducted into San Bernardino’s hot-rodding hall of fame and was named the Dale Earnhardt man of the year.

He spent the last few months of his life under the care of hospice and his family witnessed first-hand the comfort and dignity it brought to him. He passed in 2008 and was laid to rest in a coffin that is candy-apple red with gold flames on the side. His family decided to support those who don’t have the resources necessary for hospice care by organizing this annual car show fundraiser for the Foundation.

Proceeds from the Phil Braybrooks Memorial Car Show go to SCHF’s programs and services, including its Angel Assistance, Children’s Care, We Honor Vets and community outreach programs. SCHF is also actively working to fulfill its vision of opening the first live-in care facility in Orange County, Heavenly Home, which will serve terminally ill patients at the end-of-life, regardless of their ability to pay and may not have family or friends to care for them. Currently, a loving home for the last stage does not exist in the county.

About the Southern California Hospice Foundation
The Southern California Hospice Foundation was established in 2002 to promote awareness of palliative care options for terminally ill children and adults, helping to enhance the quality of life for those at the end-of-life. Generous donations support programs designed to attend physically and emotionally to each patient’s well-being. By supporting the Southern California Hospice Foundation, one becomes part of a compassionate effort that is uniquely focused on quality of life rather than quantity of days. For more information, please visit www.socalhospicefoundation.org.