Runde Auto Chat

It's about that time of year again. Decorated eggs, fun family games and the 2nd largest quantity of candy kids will ever get in one day. And while there are many parents out there who go all out and spare no expense on Easter baskets for their children during the holiday weekend, there are also kids locally who don't exactly have equally warm-hearted Easter experiences. That's where Chuck 'N' Jo's comes in to save the [holi]day!

Last year, Chuck 'N' Jo's donated over 800 baskets to Children’s Hospitals and local non-for-profit groups that help children, like the Maria House and St. Marks. This year marks their 4th year of the Easter Baskets of Love and it is bigger and better than ever before! They will have over 1200 Easter baskets that will be delivered to kids and senior citizens this Easter. And they're distributing the baskets to a greater number of charitable places compared to last year!

We stopped by Chuck 'N' Jo's today to visit Connie Jo (one of the founders of this noble event) to see the baskets and talk with Connie about the event a little more. Looking at a collection of the baskets felt like looking into the future a bit. There were so many of them and I began to get a mental glimpse of the happiness that they were going to bring local kids and seniors in just a week's time.

So Connie, there sure are a LOT of baskets here, how do you go about collecting all of the goods that go into the baskets?
All year long people are bringing in these baskets to help out. They bring in stuffed animals, toys... no candy, though, until it's getting near Easter time so it won’t spoil.

I hear that you are donating to more retirement homes this year?
We had a lot of requests last year from retirement homes so we decided to reach out a bit more this year. Last year we donated to Stonehill Care Center. This year we are donating to Stone Hill, Luther Manor, Dubuque Nursing and Rehab and Sunnycrest Manor.We are taking 267 of our specialized baskets to the retirement homes. They have lotions, soaps, crackers, little scrubbies and things like that in them.

How many Volunteers do you have this year?
We have 20 this year. Three up from last year.

How far out do you donate?
We cover three county Head Start programs in Iowa and we are doing the East Dubuque Head Start program as well.

How do you deliver these baskets?
We pack them up in a van and take them to the Community Center where they will be distributed.

We could lend you the Runde Community Support Van for this in the future. Its purpose is to help out non-profit organizations and charitable causes, just like this one!
I didn't know about that! That would be a great!

Everything is donated?
Yes, everything is donated and/or sponsored. Some of our donations are stuffed animals, toys, candy, etc. for the baskets. Other sponsors will give us money then we will go out on shopping missions to get items needed for the baskets as we see fit.

[Connie shared with us a list of over 20 companies and individuals that helped sponsor and donate to Easter Baskets of Love]

When do you start delivering the baskets?
Monday the 29th is our big day. We will be delivering everything then. And one of our helpers, Jenny, will be going to Iowa City give Baskets to the Iowa Children's Hospital.

How many are going to the children's hospital?
At least 150 for sure.

How many baskets do you have so far?
Right now we have 1,047 baskets made and on Saturday afternoon we will be making 200 more making it close to 1,250 baskets for the year.

That’s great! Over 400 more from last year!
Yes it is really great, it’s getting bigger every year!

Runde's would like to thank Chuck 'N' Jo's for their great contribution to the community, it is very exciting and encouraging to have people in the community that are this selfless. They are doing a great deed for these kids and I hope that it will keep growing. From the looks of things, people are starting to become more aware of the program. If you would like to donate to Easter Baskets of Love, you can stop by their location at 890 Iowa St. in Dubuque, IA and ask for Connie.

[youtube=gmjgH3ninBo]

To be donated to the East Dubuque Community Blood Drive April 16th at the East Dubuque High School cafeteria. If you're in the Tri-State area, why not take an hour out of your day help potentially save a life? Hope to see you there!

The Chevy Camaro is arguably the most popular vehicle of the year, and Runde Auto Group has a great selection for everyone to choose from. Our stock of Camaros has attracted many eyes, including the prestigious former Cincinnati wide receiver, Mardy Gilyard. Mr. Gilyard recently purchased his brand new Chevrolet Camaro at Runde's in East Dubuque with the assistance of Runde Chevrolet's very own Mark "Flop" Fleege.

Marshawn "Mardy" Gilyard, age 23, was born in Palm Coast, FL and started his football career early in high school. He was a first-team class 5A all-state selection and had over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, which lead to him being chosen as MVP in the Florida Coast All-Star game. From there, Mardy left for college with a scholarship to University of Cincinnati, where he played his freshman year as a cornerback.

 Unfortunately during his sophomore year of college, Mardy was red-shirted for grades, and eventually lost his scholarship and his apartment. Then, being the dedicated person he is, Mardy lived out of his car and worked three jobs to save the money to get back into school. Eventually he went back to school full-time on his own funds and his determination paid off when he got back on the team in 2007 and got his scholarship back. He finished his season for the Bearcats with 36 receptions totaling 536 yards, and 3 touchdowns. From there, the sky was the limit. In 2008 he had 81 receptions with 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns. To add to his receiving yardage, Gilyard also had over 1000 yards in returns. In 2009 he again massed over 1000 receiving and 1000 return yards with a total of 15 touchdowns. Mardy and the Bearcats went undefeated during the regular season in 2009 and eventually lost to Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day. Mardy is now expected to be in the first round of draft picks in the 2010 NFL draft.

Mardy had a rough start in college, but he's now famous for his exceptional talent and speed. He learned from his mistakes and his diligence and perseverance finally paid off for him. He enjoys giving back to the community and very frequently participates in several youth programs for underprivileged children in Cincinnati. Mardy can now reward himself for all his hard work by driving comfortably in his new Camaro.

Check out this bird eye view of Mardy's 99 yard kickoff return against Pittsburg on 12-5-09. Cincinnati was trailing Pitt 31-10 at the time, but the kickoff sparked the team and they wound up beating the Panthers 45-44. And for you Chicago Bears fans out there ... yes that is Dave Wannstedt at the beginning of the video (your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.) Wannstedt now coaches for the University of Pittsburg.

In a tie for "coolest car at the auto-show" I give you the Ford Mustang GT500.

While the new vehicles being displayed at the auto show were fascinating and exciting, there's something about vehicles that haven't been seen on the road for a long time that strike that same emotion. Looking at some of the first vehicles ever invented really gave me an up-close and personal look at just how far we have come. Take a gander at the vehicles below... They were using wood as a body frame material and actual lanterns were being used as lights. Automotively speaking, some things that we find today to be primitive are beautiful in my mind. But beauty aside, I don't think the National Committee for Highway Safety would see lit lanterns hanging from a vehicle as "safe". In the event of an accident in today's world, open flames and potentional gas leaks aren't exactly seen as the best combination. Just think 100 years into the future... they'll be saying: "I can't believe they used fiberglass and steel for the vehicle bodies and their engines burned gas and diesel!" Vehicles clearly are a measure of progress and creativity for our society. Who knows what the future will hold on the vehicular timeline ... but something tells me that our great, great grandchildren will still be whining for a way to be transported to the mall on snowy winter days when school has been cancelled. Enjoy a blast from the past with these Classic Ford cars!

1915-1916 Model T Ford Deport Hack

1926 Model T Ford Fordor

1930 Model A Ford Coupe

1911 Model T Ford Torpedo Roadster