A Good Bunch Of People

The North Georgia Mopar® Club runs the gamut from “muscle cars to Survivors to newer cars,” according to club president Rick Ellis, so it goes without saying that appreciation of Mopar-fueled steel is what brought club members together. However, the ties that bind the North Georgia Mopar Club (NGMC) are the manner in which the group’s love of Mopar is manifested—namely, to help support a large roster of charities.

The NGMC, founded in 1990, has expanded greatly from its original eight members to the current 350-strong group. The club’s spotlight event is the Landmark Mopar Southern Classic, now in its eighth year, hosted in the infield of Atlanta Motor Speedway by the NGMC. The all-Mopar car show and swap meet allows attendees to take a few laps around Atlanta Motor Speedway in their Mopars.

Additional club events include regular monthly meetings and a variety of car shows, picnics and cruises, including a car show at Hayes Chrysler Jeep® Dodge Ram in Baldwin, Ga., and a drive to “Big Daddy” Don Garlits’ museum in Ocala, Fla. But make no mistake, what drives the NGMC is the opportunity to benefit their many charitable causes.

“We are a very charity-oriented organization,” said club president Ellis, a 53-year-old retired policeman from Tucker, Ga. That statement is backed up by the significant contributions the club made in 2009 to aid a long list of organizations: the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Toys for Tots, Angel Flight, Susan B. Komen for the Cure, The American Liver Foundation, Rainbow Village, Sirens for Santa and Elks Aidmore Home for Girls.

The club has even gone so far as to create its own charity, the Hero Fund, a program which sends “goody boxes” to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The NGMC sent 35 boxes to troops last year, with each box containing over 200 items at a cost of $200 each to fill and ship. Obviously, this is a Mopar car club with a conscience.

“We had a prospective member come to one of our meetings,” recalled Ellis. “I asked where his wife and kids were and he said, ‘I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a bunch of redneck guys who knew nothing but four-letter words before I brought them.’ I told him for that kind of club, you need to go somewhere else. He joined right up.”

Ellis, who owns a 2001 Plymouth Prowler and 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger, said “I’ve always been a Mopar person. Richard Petty was my hero growing up. There are a lot of diehard Mopar folks in the club.” Yet the club also eagerly welcomes those who don’t own a priceless Mopar muscle car. New NGMC member Linda Fraschilla, owner of a current model Dodge Avenger, was welcomed into the club because of her love of cars and was appointed NGMC PR and Publicity Chairperson. Low membership dues (just $20 per year!) also ensure full membership rolls and high event turnouts. Needless to say, the club continues to grow.

“It’s easy to sell the club. I have very few people that don’t jump at (membership),” Ellis remarked. “We’ve seen a lot of Charger and Challenger owners get involved lately. We recently staged a show in Augusta (Ga.) and we drew in 235 cars. That’s a real good sign.”

A few NGMC sponsors include Landmark Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Hayes Family Dealerships, Paxton, Vortex, AMD and Year One. The 2010 NGMC slate is very full, according to Ellis—with many events, of course, geared toward supporting charitable causes.

“We do things to have fun and play with our cars, but mostly it’s about the fellowship and friendship,” observed Ellis. “I’m real proud of our club and how we’ve supported worthwhile causes. We have a good bunch of people.”

Think your Mopar club deserves to be featured in a future Mopar Nation column? E-mail us at editor@moparmagazine.com with information and photographs about your group. Your organization of Mopar maniacs might just be featured in an upcoming issue of Mopar Magazine!