On Saturday, October 11th, the Peer Leadership program hosted a community car wash outside the Olcott Building to benefit Community in Crisis. The event, envisioned and organized by the Peer Leader board members as well as faculty advisors Mr. Justin Kaufman and Mrs. Alyssa Samson, was seen as a way to give back to the community while supporting a meaningful local cause.
The energy throughout the morning was positive and contagious, as Peer Leaders enthusiastically washed cars, waved signs, and cheered each other on.
Peer Leaders broke into four separate shifts, with cohorts switching every hour. The first group of Peer Leaders arrived at 7:30 AM, to help Mrs. Samson and Mr. Kaufman set up the event. Ensuing groups arrived 15 minutes before their shift to get acclimated with the situation and join in the fun.
There were several different jobs for peer leaders, some were part of the wash station, while others took part in greeting and directing community members towards the event. Others took turns with spraying water, applying soap, and drying each of the cars.
The community quickly took notice of the event, with social media lighting up with photos, posts, and encouragement that inspired even more residents to stop by for a wash or make a donation. This was led by the Peer Leader instagram @bernards.peerleaders, with the account posting throughout the morning, spreading positivity and encouraging the community to participate. Board Member Jessica Fu ‘26 was shocked with the outcome of the event: “The car wash was definitely more successful than we expected! We projected we’d make at most $300, but we ended up making more than 4 times that amount!”
In total, around 60 cars came through and over $1,000 was raised for Community in Crisis.
On the success of the event, advisor Mr. Kaufman says “I would rate it in A++++++. The number of cars we washed that showed up, the publicity in the community/on social media, the energy we brought, how smooth it ran, and the amount of money raised surpassed all of our expectations.”
The idea of a car wash dates back to last year, with the event being signed off by Dr. Neigel during the board meeting in August.
Community in Crisis was chosen according to Mr. Kaufman because, “We feel that the values of the organization match ours as Peer Leaders – drug/alcohol prevention, mental health, positivity, unity, etc…” Also, board member Ana Borbolla Menare ‘26, head of the student board for Community in Crisis, advised the Peer Leaders to choose them as their charity of choice.
According to the Community in Crisis website, their mission is to “lead and unite communities to reduce the incidence and consequences of the misuse of substances through education, prevention and holistic support in an environment free of stigma.”
A few of the Peer Leaders even went through the car wash themselves. Fu says, “I’d give the peer leaders a 9/10. There’s definitely some room for improvement in the drying aspect, but I went home feeling satisfied with the look of my car.”
Mr Kaufman praised the program, saying, “I was particularly proud of our communication and teamwork in getting things done. Every Peer Leader contributed to making sure the event ran smoothly and successfully.”
What began as a student-led idea turned into a huge success, beyond expectations, demonstrating the incredible impact of teamwork, leadership, and spirit.
