Typically, Walden Lake Car Wash and Service Center is open six days per week — giving owner Frank Cummings and his staff just one day off — Sunday — for the weekend. It’s a day with which they can do as they please — relax at home, enjoy the outdoors or have dinner with friends.
Later this month, they’ll spend that precious day off at work — voluntarily.
The car wash has teamed up with the Plant City Lions Club to host a benefit car wash for 15-year-old Taylor Goethals, a Plant City teen who is battling cancer for the second time. The fundraiser will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the car wash, 1414 S. Alexander St., Plant City. Cummings’ staff will control the business’ larger equipment, while Lions Club members and other volunteers will vacuum and wash the windows. All washes will be done by donation only.
“Two-thirds of the staff are volunteering,” Cummings said. “They’re all from Plant City, and they know the family fairly well. My guys are definitely stepping up, and they’re happy to do it.”
In addition to the car washes, guests also can enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs, and a bounce house will be available for children.
Cummings knows first-hand the power of a loving community. While living in his native New York, his business suffered a fire during the Christmas season. Members of that community assisted him in that time of need, and now, he wants to give back.
“I have a heart for this kind of work,” he said. “I am a big believer in giving back.”
Cummings’ wife, Dolly, runs Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, in Ruskin. The nonprofit organization provides environmental education and hands-on learning opportunities in cooperation with Hillsborough County.
Before owning the Plant City car wash, Cummings worked in pharmaceuticals. Particularly in the assisted-living and nursing-home industry, he saw members of the middle class in particular need. They did not have enough money to pay for adequate care — yet they had too much to qualify for government assistance.
“It’s the working poor,” he said. “They fall through the cracks. And this is just my way of helping these people who really need the help.”
Earlier this year, Cummings, through the Lions Club, helped spearhead a campaign to raise funds for Gabriel Brannan-Buehl, a 3-year-old who has lost one eye to retinoblastoma.
Taylor was diagnosed four years ago with fibrosarcoma. She had been cancer-free for almost three years, but that changed about a month ago, when doctors discovered the cancer has spread to her lungs. She recently completed her first round of chemotherapy.
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
