Nineteen years ago, Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation Board Members paid a visit to A.J. Hiers to ask if he would help support the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation with a car drawing. At the time, Mr. Hiers was supporting several small charities, each in some small way. After this meeting, Hiers decided to jump in, and in a very large way. The first several years of the ALZ BBQ and Car Drawing the event was held at the Boniface-Hiers Mazda dealership, in Melbourne, Florida.

Since the inception of this fundraiser it has grown tremendously. It all began as a small fundraiser where the winner of the raffle had the opportunity to pick a new car off the lot of a Boniface-Hiers dealership. In 1998, A.J. Hiers decided that in order to gain more attention, something needed to be done to boost ticket sales. So that year he made the decision to give away his personal collector car, a numbers matching, 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi. As a result, sales did rise and we have been giving away instant collectors ever since, in what has turned into a worldwide fundraising event. "Being a supporter has been very rewarding for me and my people. It's a privilege to be associated with the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation and Joe's Club. I see no reason to ever stop trying to be more successful than the year before," said Hiers.

The Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation has been provided with some of the most collectible cars for raffle in the world to raise money for our nonprofit. These same cars could easily bring large amounts of money at any Barrett Jackson, or similar collector auto auctions.

In recent years, the ALZ BBQ and Car Drawing has grown to unforseen heights, and staff at the Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation have worked tirelessly to make this fundraiser a huge success. This event now gains the attention of thousands throughout the year at different events, and by reaching out on the Internet. The past few ALZ BBQ's have had over 2,000 donors in attendance to enjoy BBQ, and watch the event live. With all the bbq you can eat, free soda, beer, and water; this has turned into one of the largest fundraisers in Brevard County.

We have finally gained the support of a celebrity as well. Geoff Bodine, a NASCAR legend and the savior of the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team, has noticed the cause that this fundraiser supports. The past couple years, Bodine has been instrumental in assisting with ticket sales and drumming up support among another group of potential supporters.

We look forward to watching this event continue to be successful and grow year after year. Thank you for your support over the years and for your continued support in the years to come.

Good luck.