Businesses make high school girl’s wish for a muscle car come true

By Paul Takahashi

Sunday, April 29, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Vanessa Cazares flashed a huge smile and fought back tears as the local chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation made her wish come true Saturday.

The 17-year-old Centennial High School senior — who suffers from a congenital heart defect — received a complete makeover of her 1967 Ford Mustang coupe, courtesy of Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Southern Nevada chapter and its partners.

Since the local chapter was founded in 1996, the foundation has granted wishes to more than 1,200 Las Vegas-area children suffering from life-threatening conditions to provide hope, strength and joy to sick children and their families.

Vanessa beamed as members of two local Mustang groups — Vegassstang and the Mustang and Classic Ford Club of Las Vegas — unveiled her refurbished muscle car, “Stella.” She bought the classic car using $2,200 of her own money while she was in the hospital last summer.

Vanessa was always in awe of the Mustang, its coveted status in American history and its guttural power, she said. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers group was photographed riding one, she said.

While she swooned over her purchase, Vanessa’s Mustang was in poor condition, said Dan Wicks, owner of the local restoration and service shop Vegassstang, which specializes in Mustangs. The hood and trunk were held together to the frame and chassis by chains. The red paint had rusted away, and the seats were tattered.

“It was drivable, but barely,” Wicks said. “It really was in poor shape … barely road-worthy.”

Through a partnership between Wicks and Larry Gareffa — president of the Mustang and Classic Ford Club of Las Vegas — the two Mustang groups agreed to help Make-A-Wish grant Vanessa’s wish: to restore the luster of her beat-up, old car.

Vegassstang spent more than 900 hours and upwards of $30,000 to refurbish Vanessa’s car. Helped by donations from more than a dozen local businesses, the Mustang shop was able to install a new sound system, new metal panels and clean out the rusted engine.

“(The restoration) cost more than her car, but it was worth it,” Wicks said. “You get to know her and what she’s going through and to be able to do something for someone like her, you just can’t put it into words. It’s emotional.”

The entire restoration took nearly three months, and workers were still tinkering on the vehicle before the big reveal Saturday, one day before Make-A-Wish’s World Wish Day.

As the blue tarp came off the shiny, pewter-colored car inside the Gaudin Ford dealership in the central valley, Vanessa couldn’t believe her eyes. As General Sales Manager Wesley Greggs handed her the keys, she smiled and then gingerly turned on the engine. It purred.

Still beaming, Vanessa revved the engine a few times to applause from the crowd of about 100 people that gathered around.

“It was unreal,” she said afterwards. “No one had to do this. They chose to do this, and that’s the coolest thing. This meant the world to me.”

Her mother, Iaomanu Cazares, wiped away tears nearby.

Before Vanessa turned 5, she had two major surgeries to alleviate her heart condition, Iaomanu Cazares said. Despite her treatments, Vanessa was confined to a wheelchair for nine months last year, missing many school days, she added.

“Those weren’t the set of wheels she wanted,” Cazares said of her formerly wheelchair-bound daughter. “It was a difficult time. … But just to see how happy she is now, it’s just amazing.”

All Vanessa wanted this year was to have a normal senior year of high school, she said. So far, she’s been able to accomplish that.

Although she’s had to work harder to make up her classes, Vanessa is now on track to graduate. She plans to go to UNLV and give back to her community by entering the medical profession.

Last weekend, Vanessa went to prom with fellow Make-A-Wish recipient Jacob Rau, a 17-year-old Arbor View High School student. The two met at a recent 5K run/walk to benefit the foundation, and became steadfast friends.

Jacob, who has cystic fibrosis, will travel to London this summer to watch high-profile wrestling matches as part of his wish.

“I’m really happy for her. She really deserved this,” Jacob said of Vanessa’s Make-A-Wish gift. “She’s the nicest person I know.”

Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Southern Nevada chapter plans to grant wishes to 135 local children this year, its executive director, Caleen Norrod Johnson, said. Gifts range from the tangible — like a refurbished car — to the experiential: traveling, meeting celebrities and being someone else for a day, she said.

Often, these gifts motivate and inspire children to push through their illnesses, and create happy diversions for family members worried about their child’s health, she said. Gift-givers benefit too, by building community and connections, she added.

Vanessa’s wish brought together more than a dozen sponsors — Scott Drake, National Parts Depot, Genuine Auto Parts, US Bank, D’Angelos Desert Paint, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Discount Tire Pep Boys, State of the Art Powder Coating, Operation Mustang, Kentucky Mustang Parts, Newby’s Auto Care and Best Buy — all to help one girl’s wish come true, Johnson said.

“All of our wishes are special, but this one took a village,” she said. “We’re so happy for Vanessa, and we’re honored to bring a little bit of happiness to their family.”