Car show, auction, raffle to raise money for woman battling cancer
A car show and live auction in Russellville will raise funds to help a Warren County woman who’s been struggling with lung and brain cancer for roughly a year.
The Kruz-in for Kayren is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Logan County Extension Office Complex.
Lorie Cline said the event is a benefit for her sister, Kayren Essenpreis, whose cancer was discovered in July.
“We’ve just kind of thrown it all together to raise money for her insurance,” she said.
The Kruz-in will feature a car/truck/motorcycle show that costs $15 to enter, a raffle with $10 tickets and a live auction, as well as food and activities for kids like cornhole and temporary tattoos.
The event is free to attend.
Cline said she and Essenpreis’ other immediate relatives found out about the cancer in July.
“It was horrible. Kayren was always so strong and strong-willed,” she said. “This has just been a real whirlwind because she always was such a worker.”
For much of the time following the diagnosis, Essenpreis has been unable to work and subsequently lost her longtime paramedic job, Cline said.
“That’s a real downer when you’re fighting cancer,” she said.
With a COBRA insurance plan for coverage, Essenpreis and her husband have been paying high deductibles for her treatment, Cline said.
“They’re not about to lose their house, but they’re like the rest of us. They have bills,” she said.
Cline said she didn’t think Essenpreis, who was scheduled for a round of radiation therapy Tuesday, would be available for comment.
“We’re down to one brain tumor we’re concerned about right now,” she said.
Cline said her mother offered to make a quilt and raffle it. As other people were inspired to help in other ways, the raffle grew into a much larger event with at least four quilts being raffled, a live auction and the car show, Cline said.
Clay Bilyeau, a Logan County resident who has experience putting together similar events, has been involved with organizing the Kruz-in.
Bilyeau said the vehicle shows are a contest, with awards to be given out for best car, best truck, best motorcycle and best overall.
Roughly 250 raffle tickets, at $10 apiece, have already been sold, Cline said, adding that she’s surprised by the amount of community support she’s seen.
“That’s been absolutely amazing,” she said. “People have their own lives and issues and it’s just nice they could help out.”