Classic cars, antique rides, and custom rigs lined up at Todd Stadium Sunday for the 14th annual Project Lifesaver Car and Bike Show, a fundraiser that keeps a potentially life-saving tracking service free for nearly 75 Newport News clients. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., asked entrants for a $20 registration fee and two items of pet food, with all proceeds going toward the Newport News Sheriff's Office's Project Lifesaver program.
Project Lifesaver is a service that helps locate people prone to wandering, including children and adults living with Alzheimer's, autism, Down syndrome, or a traumatic brain injury, according to the Newport News Sheriff's Office. Participants wear a wrist or ankle bracelet fitted with a personalized transmitter, and deputies are dispatched to track the signal if someone goes missing. As reported by WAVY.com, the Newport News branch of the program now has nearly 75 clients, and the sheriff's office generally finds missing individuals within about 30 minutes.
Capt. Kandyce Gross said four individuals wandered away from home so far this year and were located by the sheriff's office, according to the same WAVY.com report. Gross has separately told WTKR that once deputies arrive on scene, it typically takes about 20 to 30 minutes to find a missing person.
Keeping a Free Program Funded
Sheriff Morgan provides Project Lifesaver free of charge to Newport News residents, and the program is funded entirely through donations, grants, charitable foundations, corporations, and fundraising events like Sunday's show, per the sheriff's office. That matters because setup and upkeep aren't cheap: the station's earlier reporting found that Project Lifesaver can cost up to $350 for a client's initial setup and $20 a month for maintenance, costs the sheriff's office absorbs rather than passing on to families.
Car and bike shows have become one of two annual pillars of that fundraising effort, alongside an escorted motorcycle ride, according to the Virginia Sheriffs' Institute. Last year's car and bike show brought in $2,000 for the program, the sheriff's office has said, while this year's motorcycle ride was canceled due to weather — though supporters still raised roughly $6,000 for Project Lifesaver in 2025. The 2024 motorcycle ride alone drew more than 80 bikes escorted by deputies, per WTKR, building on a 2023 ride that the outlet reported raised more than $3,000.
Car Clubs and a Custom Ride With a Message
This year's show drew classic, antique, and custom car owners from across the region, WAVY.com reports. Among them was Al Crane, who belongs to two car clubs, including the Historic Virginia Peninsula Region chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America. Crane's car groups make roughly 25 annual visits to nursing homes, retirement homes, and rehabilitation facilities, bringing five to ten cars each time for residents' enjoyment, according to the station's report.
Keith Williams drove in from Richmond to show his Mustang and help raise money for the cause, per the same account. The Newport News Sheriff's Office also showcased a custom vehicle promoting autism awareness and Project Lifesaver, featuring puzzle pieces symbolizing autism awareness on its design. Past editions of the show have featured prizes, a raffle, and a DJ, according to 13News Now.
Project Lifesaver is used not just in Newport News but in neighboring cities as well, giving the annual fundraiser a reach beyond the stadium parking lot. For the car owners, bikers, and volunteers who turned out Sunday, the $20 entry fee and bag of pet food were a small price for a program built around getting families back together fast.
