F-150 XLT will help American Red Cross respond to disasters in SoCal.
The Ford F-150 has helped entrepreneurs start and build their businesses. It’s assisted families in maintaining and upgrading their homes. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the F-150 has also been instrumental in rebuilding lives after natural and manmade disasters strike. This particular white F-150 will answer the calls of those in need as one of the American Red Cross’s newest Emergency Response Vehicles.
Manheim, a company which provides vehicle remarketing services, partnered with Remarketing by Element to raise funds for the truck through a campaign called “Race to Give.” That officially ended on March 30, when the American Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region, which serves Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, received the pre-2018 SuperCrew truck. According to Manheim, the Desert to the Sea Region assisted more than 900 families affected by disasters last year. In the same press release about the F-150 donation, the company stated, “Nationwide, the American Red Cross responds to an average of nearly 64,000 disasters — that’s one every eight minutes—every year, including mudslides, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, home fires and more. It takes vehicles – and many of them – to deliver supplies to those affected by emergencies.”
To make the F-150 even more effective, some of Manheim’s employees and clients bought and assembled 1,500 “comfort kits” for Red Cross workers to pass out to disaster victims. Kelley Blue Book contributed an extra 500 kits. All 2000 of them contained personal hygiene items that should come in handy for people who are temporarily displaced from their homes after Mother Nature (or some other destructive force) attacks.
However, there’s something just as important or perhaps even more vital than hygiene products. Linda Voss, Regional CEO of the Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region, said, “Vehicles like this one allow us to get to and from the scene safely, and deliver much-needed supplies. It’s more than just a truck – it’s a vital tool for us to deliver help and hope in our region, and beyond.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
