SALISBURY – If the Schwinn reproduction Stingray painted Camaro green in the display window at Salisbury Square Antiques has caught your eye, the bicycle could be yours.
With a little luck and a contribution to a worthy cause.
Team Gavin will raffle off the bike during a fundraising event Oct. 27 at the F&M Trolley Barn.
Proceeds will help pay for rehabilitation expenses for Gavin Littleton, the 15-year-old North Rowan High School student was paralyzed Aug. 1 in a diving accident.
Gavin will require full-time nursing care when he returns home Tuesday from the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and brain injuries.
Team Gavin invites Rowan County to the fundraising event and celebration of Gavin’s heroic rescue and survival.
Four teenage friends – Nick Cornacchione, Thomas Tucker, Zack Lemmon and Dakota Honeycutt – received the Civitan Club’s Ernest Curtis Hero Award Sept. 13 for rescuing Gavin after he dove off a boat into shallow water on High Rock Lake.
The fundraiser will run from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 27. The $50 ticket price includes dinner, beverages and live entertainment by Kenny Floyd.
Reserve tickets by emailing hope@prayingforgavin.com. Organizers would like to have a head count by Tuesday but won’t turn people away at the door.
Kevin and Cindy Kisamore, who founded a nonprofit that refurbishes bikes for raffles called One Small Thing, donated the Schwinn to Team Gavin.
The Kisamores have never met Gavin and didn’t know the Littleton family but were inspired to donate a bike, as they’ve done for groups like Nazareth Children’s Home.
“You don’t have to do something big,” Cindy said. “If a lot of people do small things, then big things happen.”
Jamie Osborne, a member of Team Gavin, is the niece of Salisbury Square Antiques co-owner Vaughn Poston. He donated the window to promote the event and other fundraising efforts, which include selling T-shirts and bracelets.
The window is filled with posters made during a North Rowan football game by friends, as well as wrestling and tennis gear. Gavin is an accomplished athlete.
Front and center in the window, the bicycle is reminiscent of the Schwinn “Krate” bikes popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It was painted in a Chevy Camaro Synergy Green provided by Rouzer Motor Parts in Salisbury and decaled by Harwood Signs.
Bike raffle tickets cost $5 and are available at upcoming North Rowan football games, the Trolley Barn event and participating businesses. Visit www.prayingforgavin.com for updates on locations and availability.
Team Gavin started with a few spirit rock paintings, prayer and a Facebook page called “Praying for Gavin.”
The North Rowan Alumni Association has partnered with Team Gavin to secure shirt sales, event charges and donations safely under their 501c3 status.
Team Gavin shirts ($15) and bracelets ($2) are available at Salisbury Square Antiques, Winks, the Forum, Bella Salon and at announced North Rowan football games.
Donations to Team Gavin should be checks written to “Praying for Gavin,” mailed to the North Rowan Alumni Association, P.O. BOX 111 Spencer, N.C. 28159.
Shirts, bracelets, raffle tickets and event tickets are also available by emailing Team Gavin partner Hope Riley at hope@prayingforgavin.com. One hundred percent of proceeds from all Team Gavin fundraisers go directly to the Littleton Family to offset rehabilitation costs for Gavin.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.