Perkins brings the spirit of giving to Greene County

Andrew “Drew” Perkins was nominated as a Difference Maker by Rachael McKee.

“Drew recently organized a HUGE event for Madi Moore and her family called ‘Cruise-in for a Cause,’” McKee said. “Drew made this event a reality, and it’s not the first time he has held an event to help a family in Greene County. Working night and day, after working two jobs and taking care of his own family, he brought so many organizations and agencies together and that is exactly what this town needed. He created an event where people put all of their differences aside in order to show love and support for Madi and her family. It raised over $10,000, all of which went to Madi’s family.”

The spirit of giving is not new to Perkins. In 2018, Perkins, along with fellow muscle car enthusiasts Aaron Hale, Ryan Owen, Alex Taylor, Adon Hudson and Doug Hensley, formed the All American Muscle Car Club, a nationwide group of muscle car lovers who hold car shows to raise money to benefit the families of kids in Greene County who suffer from childhood cancer.

“As a group, we just decided that our club should have a purpose, and that purpose should in some way brighten the lives of these kids. My fiancee, Deanna Watson, is best friends with Christine Brown, whose son Dawson was battling cancer so that inspired us to help all Greene County kids who were in the same boat,” Perkins said. “No child should have to spend their childhood fighting for their lives. We hope to give these kids back a piece of what cancer has taken from them, and to give their families as much help as we are able.”

The club unanimously decided on Greene County kids Savannah Boone, the late Dawson Brown, the late Madi Moore and Carson Albright as the beneficiaries of whatever they could raise to help.

“We batted around the idea of donating to a national or state pediatric cancer organization, or to Riley Hospital, but we wanted to see every cent we raised go to these kids of our own, right here in Greene County,” Perkins said.

The club worked with each family, finding ways to ease the experiences of each child and provide as many good times as they were able to.

“Dawson got to ride in the car of member Kim Deal in the Fourth of July parade that year,” Perkins said. “He had a great time.”

Holding their first show, “Show Off for the Kids,” on Sept. 18, 2018, at Humphreys Park in Linton, the event was tinged with sadness due to the death of Dawson Brown just three days before.

“That day happened to be the day of Dawson’s funeral,” said Perkins. “So we made sure his hearse would pass by the park where the event was being held. As his funeral procession drove by, every muscle car there revved up their engines in a salute to our friend. It was deafening. There were many tears, needless to say.”

In another coincidence, the show was held on World Marrow Donor day, a significant day for Madi Moore, recipient of a stem cell bone marrow transplant who survived her fight with acute myeloid leukemia only to later succumb from Graft vs Host disease (GVHD) in 2019.

The event raised over $5,000, and the money was split evenly between the families of the four, with Albright’s share going to Greene Goes Gold, a charity formed by Albright’s family and others which raises money to support research into childhood cancers.

When Perkins and Hale heard that Moore was diagnosed with GVHD, a very serious complication from her stem cell bone marrow transplant, they jumped into action.

“Aaron had a great idea: why not organize a benefit for Madi that would include community prayer?” Perkins explained. “Once I had my eyes on the prize, I was just driven into action.”

Bringing together 12 Greene County churches and members of every public service agency in Greene County and beyond on Sunday, July 21, 2018, “Cruise-in for a Cause” was an enormous event, bringing multitudes of people, but again the event was colored with sadness for Perkins and the whole Greene County community, as Moore had passed away at Riley Hospital on Monday, July 15.

“We were devastated to hear the news,” Perkins said. “But it only strengthened our resolve to make this event successful. We, along with this wonderful community, raised $10,322 for Madi’s family.”

Moore’s mother, Tera Orman, considers Perkins to be an angel.

“Andrew Perkins has been an angel for Gregg and I and our family. He didn’t even know us, and he stepped up to help us in our time of need,” Orman said. “He and his family have blessed our lives completely. This man is someone who cared for Madi, without knowing her personally. He made a point to stand up and help her, just stepped up and started organizing everything without questions, without strings attached. And he pushed even harder to honor her. We are forever grateful for his generosity and love. We thank him, his family, and everyone that had a part in it. We consider him and his family our friends, and we know God had a hand in all of this. May God bless Andrew Perkins and his family.”

And Perkins’ servant heart is not limited to helping ease the lives of young cancer sufferers, either.

Recently, Perkins created an event called “Cars and Coffee,” held Sept. 7, which served to bring people to downtown Linton, specifically Francisco De Borja Coffee.

“Downtown Linton needs a boost, an injection of people to help it come to life,” Perkins said. “The shop owners down there have worked so hard to establish themselves. I started with the coffee shop because it’s a cool place in town that brings us culture and a really great atmosphere. I just wanted to help them and to give back. Car shows bring people and what better place to bring people than downtown Linton.”

Drew Perkins doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon.

“Whenever I see something where I can help someone in our county, count me in,” he said with a smile.