St. Joseph Church hosts car show to raise $100,000 for school roof repairs

St. Joseph Church held its Raise the Roof Car Show on Saturday to fund repairs to its school building estimated at $100,000, according to KVIA.

The event ran from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and was free to attend. About 50 custom cars displayed at the show, according to Al Lujan, a member of the Knights of Columbus and the St. Joseph School Council. Lujan told KVIA the turnout exceeded his initial expectations of roughly 20 vehicles.

The church raised money through a ticket currency system in which attendees purchased tickets with cash or card and used them to buy food and drinks. All proceeds went directly toward the roof repairs, Lujan said.

A DJ provided music for most of the event. Near the end, the St. Joseph School Mariachi group, made up of students from the school, performed several songs while the audience applauded after each performance.

Lujan attributed the strong community response to a shared sense of responsibility within the El Paso Catholic community. "Anything that we do, especially here in El Paso, we're a family," Lujan said, according to KVIA. "Especially being Catholics, we have children that come to this school and we want to be able to provide for them."

Lujan told KVIA that helping others when possible—whether through time or money—sets an important example for younger generations. He called addressing the roof repairs a "duty" to the children attending the school and said the community's willingness to assist demonstrated a broader commitment to mutual support in El Paso.

"Being able to be in a position to be able to help somebody, not even financially, but being able to give my time and being able to provide back to the community is very important," Lujan said, according to KVIA.