CLOSTER, N.J.—Hundreds of must-see cars, plus food trucks, raffles and an Elvis impersonator, return to Closter Plaza on Sunday, Sept. 20, but the purpose behind Joey’s Fund’s annual charity car show is much more serious.
The Bergen County nonprofit, founded in memory of Joey DeCarlo, says its 2025 show raised $25,000 to help adults, children and families facing the medical and financial pressures that can come with life-threatening illness.
Now in its 12th year, the Joey’s Fund Charity Car Show will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Closter Plaza, 19 Vervalen St. The rain date is Sept. 27.
Joey’s Fund was created after founder Tony DeCarlo and his family experienced firsthand the burdens that can accompany serious illness. The organization says insurance may cover much of the direct medical care, but families are often left with co-pays, prescription costs, lost wages, transportation, tolls, parking, food and other daily expenses.
The organization’s mission, DeCarlo says, is to “pay it forward” by helping other families navigate those pressures.
Last year’s car show marked one of the group’s strongest fundraising years. Of the $25,000 raised in 2025, Joey’s Fund says $8,000 went to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and $8,000 to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. Additional donations were made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay, Make-A-Wish and the American Red Cross.
The organization says its giving stretches back more than a decade.
From 2015 through 2017, Joey’s Fund donated a combined $67,000 to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Since 2018, it has directed substantial support to Memorial Sloan Kettering, along with donations to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and other charitable organizations.
The practical need behind that giving can be substantial.
At Memorial Sloan Kettering, financial-assistance programs help patients with medical costs not covered by insurance, while its Social Work Patient Fund assists eligible patients and families with expenses such as transportation, parking, housing, food, utilities and other basic needs. According to information supplied by Joey’s Fund, that fund distributed $3.6 million to 1,912 patients in 2024.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital similarly uses charitable assistance to help families with uncovered medical bills, specialized medications, transportation, meals and other expenses tied to prolonged treatment.
For Joey’s Fund, the car show has become the community-facing engine that helps support those efforts.
The Sept. 20 event is expected to feature hundreds of vehicles, trophies, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing, dozens of raffles, vendors, food trucks, a DJ, bounce house, an Elvis impersonator and family activities.
Organizers are seeking car owners, sponsors, vendors, volunteers and donors.
The event also gives Joey’s Fund a chance to explain why the financial side of serious illness matters.
A diagnosis can quickly affect much more than a hospital bill. Parents may miss work. Families may spend heavily on travel and parking. Ordinary household expenses continue even as treatment takes over daily life.
That is the gap Joey’s Fund says it was created to help fill.
Its message: families dealing with illness should be able to focus more of their energy on getting well and less on the costs piling up around them.
The 2026 show comes with another clear goal — build on the $25,000 raised last year and continue expanding the help Joey’s Fund can provide. For sponsorships, vendor opportunities, donations or information, call 201-481-5406, email donations@joeyscharityfund.org, or visit joeyscharityfund.org.