Candice Tillman does not personally know anyone who has fallen under hard times because of Hurricane Katrina, but when she watched the devastating effects and struggles of the victims to survive on the news, she decided she needed to act.

“I was just sitting there and watching the news, CNN, MSNBC, and saw the images and just started feeling like I should do something about this,” Tillman said. “I just can’t sit here, I have everything I need.”

Tillman started making phone calls to friends and businesses to plan a car wash to raise donations. Dasha Allen of Champaign, Tillman’s friend, spoke to her manager at Steak ‘n Shake about hosting the car wash.

“She’s my best friend,” Allen said about Tillman. “She told me about her idea and I started talking to my general manager, because I work (at Steak ‘n Shake) and she was all for it.”

On Sunday afternoon in the back lot of Steak ‘n Shake, 1709 S. Neil St., Tillman and several volunteers washed cars and raised $1,035 for the American Red Cross.

“They didn’t have a place to do it,” said Patty Smelcer of Mahomet, General Manager of Steak ‘n Shake. “Well, we got the whole back lot with all this room. Use it! We have a really close knit family at Steak ‘n Shake, and we all just got involved.”

As Tillman gathered resources for fund raising, she found help from other businesses. Tillman’s employer, Silver Mine Subs, donated food for the volunteers and two local AutoZone stores donated car-washing supplies.

“I guess we’re all lucky that we’re down here and didn’t have to experience such a thing,” said AutoZone store manager Rob Durbin of the 609 N. Mattis St. location.

Local radio station, Hot 105.5, promoted the event and provided a contact at the Red Cross.

“We wanted to do something for the community as well,” said Hot 105.5 DJ and program director Jamie “Babyface” Pindleton. “It may be Labor Day weekend, but we wanted to get out and at least do something.”

Pindleton moved to Champaign-Urbana a year ago from Houston, Texas. After experiencing Hurricane Alicia in 1983, Pindleton sympathizes with the current situation in Louisiana and realizes the desperation.

“The destruction there is just incredible and I don’t think that anyone really realizes how much help they need,” Pindleton said. “It’s not enough not having water or not having shelter, but you have the heat and humidity, and that’ll kill you alone if you don’t have any shelter.”

Attracted to the attention along Neil Street, Matt Rymer, graduate student, decided to have his car washed. He originally planned to just get some fast food.

“I just think that the whole situation is sad,” Rymer said. “I think that the people who are hurting the worst in this are the people that didn’t have much in the beginning. These people are nice people to do something like this. So, I might as well let them wash my car.”

Being nearly 800 miles away from New Orleans and not personally knowing anyone affected by the hurricane has not stopped the volunteers and their willingness to help.

“You watch these videos and the scenes down south and you see how comfortable we have it right now,” Smelcer said. ” You can’t just sit here and do nothing. I like to be involved in the community and we need to give. You live in the United States, that’s what you’re supposed to do: give a helping hand to each other.”

During the day, Allen talked with some of the drivers who thanked her for being a part of the fundraiser.

“I’ve talked to people that have come here to the car wash and they’ve told me they had family out there,” said Allen. “I don’t have any family out there, but like (Tillman) said, they’re people. I can’t sit back and have my luxurious life.”

For Tillman, not having family from the Gulf Coast region does not matter either.

“Everyone becomes your family when you have nothing,” Tillman said. “I was supposed to drive to Indiana and kick it for the weekend at Shaffer Lake. I was like, ‘No, I’m staying right here and going to make some money for these people.'”