Changing The World One Car At A Time
Chris Feesago together with his Gusbone Family
Photo: Gusbone Audio
A Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with a $50,000 sound system is up for grabs in an event that will benefit Senese and Helping Hands, two organisations that serve children with special needs.
Chris Feesago, a father of four children from America, said the Chevy giveaway is his way of giving back to the people who were there for his family when they needed help.
Mr. Feesago owns Gus Bone Audio Samoa, a local car stereo store.
In January 2023 his company, which carries the nickname his children gave his late father, will host the First Annual Paint and Audio Competition, a celebration of 685 car culture and booming car audio sound systems.
Although there is a very fabulous first prize in the raffle drawing (the Chevrolet Tahoe), the event’s reach goes beyond pretty cars and impressive car stereos.
For every $10 raffle ticket that is purchased, one tala will be donated to a fund for the purchase of a vehicle for Senese Inclusive Education.
Senese is a Non-Governmental Organisation (N.G.O.) that supports the inclusion of children with disabilities in early learning, primary, and secondary schools.
685 Car Culture 2023
Poster: Gusbone Audio
Mr. Feesago told EyeSpy Radio he became involved with Senese during a search for help for his youngest child, his two-year-old daughter Auggie Feesago.
“We are going to do what we love to do with our car culture but we want to promote their services and help other parents like me. I didn’t really know what to do with my concerns about my child,” he said.
“She does not have autism but she is in the spectrum of it. She has not been diagnosed with autism.”
Mr. Feesago became concerned for his daughter when he noticed that since birth, she never made eye contact.
His baby girl also had a high tolerance for pain, he explained.
“She would bump her head on something and act like nothing happened. I thought something was wrong and that I would have to go back to America to find her help,” said Mr. Feesago.
“So I’m just trying to be an advocate for kids like my daughter and parents like me who need a little help but kind of don’t know where to go. We were going to have this show but we are using the platform to promote awareness and give back to the community doing what we love to do.”
When the concerned father contacted Senese for help, he was referred to the Helping Hands N.G.O.
The Chevrolet Tahoe up for grabs in the First Annual Paint and Car Audio Competition, 7 January, 2023.
Photo: Supplied
“I had a lot of concerns about my daughter so I went to Senese and they directed me to Helping Hands,” Mr. Feesago said.
At Helping Hands there is Mr. David Gabriel, a speech therapist who works with his daughter three times a week.
“He is a speech therapist who works with kids who are austistic and need help ... he does a lot of things with kids. He helps my daughter. He meets with her three times a week. The change we have seen has driven me to push this even more,” Mr. Feesago said.
“To create awareness for the services these guys have and the more people I talk to about what Helping Hands is doing for my daughter, the more people are saying that they never knew these services were offered here. I want to try and promote them.”
Now back to that Chevrolet Tahoe, the first prize in the raffle: it won a prize at the car show held in September.
“We have partnered with Senese and we’re raffling off a Tahoe. Its the Tahoe that won the car show in September...it’s the loudest car here and we are raffling that off. It’s a $10 ticket...there’s probably about $50,000 worth of audio in there,” Mr. Feesago said.
“We are trying to raise money to donate a vehicle to Senese so for every ticket you buy, we are going to take a dollar from that and donate it to Senese.”
There is also a 75-inch flat screen television set and an Xbox X Series game system to be won in the raffle.
A host of businesses have joined Gus Bone Car Audio in support of the event including TJ’s Garage, Big and small Samoa, Cece’s House of Fashion and EyeSpy Radio.
About that paint and audio competition, there is more than $20,000 in cash prizes and merchandise to be claimed.
There four categories: Battle of the Lows (Tauvaga Bass); Battles of the Highs (Tauvaga Sipika Leo); Body and Paint Job (Tauvaga Tino ma le Vali mo Taavale) and Modified and Customised (Tauvaga Teuga Taavale).
The competition is happening on Saturday, 7 January, 2023 at Surfside in Matautu.
“We’re just trying to help people where ever we can help,” Mr. Feesago told EyeSpy.
“I’m just trying to fight for my daughter and change the world...I hope, I pray to God that things change and it’s a little more accepting when she gets there, when she gets to school.”