Catholic school fundraiser to feature classic cars

May 28, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Members of the club lovingly care for cars like this one. Photo courtesy Domestic Disorder Auto Club

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A fundraiser for a Bensonhurst Catholic school will look like the Auto Show at the Javits Center, thanks to members of a car club who plan to share their love of hot rods with the public to help out the religious educational institution financially.

The Domestic Disorder Car Club is hosting a fundraiser for Saint Peter Catholic Academy on Saturday, May 30, outside the school, at 8401 23rd Ave., starting at 9 a.m.

Expect to see vintage Mustangs, Corvettes and maybe even a Lamborghini or two.

There will be contest to determine the best cars, according to Anthony Paduano, the club’s vice president.

“We’re going to give out trophies for first, second and third place,” said Paduano, who owns five classic cars, including a 1965 Chevy. There will be a panel of judges but people attending the fundraiser will also get a say in the process. “We’re going to have a People’s Choice,” Paduano told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Car owners will pay a fee to enter their autos in the contest. The judges will be looking for well-maintained cars that are as close to mint condition as possible. “We look to see how well maintained the car is and how well the paint job is. Sometimes you come across a car that still has the original paint job, but that’s rare,” Paduano said.

The club’s name comes from the notion that its members are like one big, disorganized, but close-knit family. “At any given moment, we could be spinning wrenches, swapping engines or helping a member’s mother clear a drain,” http://www.domesticdisorder.com/ a statement on the group’s website reads.

But the May 30 fundraiser isn’t just for car lovers. The event will also boast a block party atmosphere with music from a DJ, food vendors, games for kids and door prizes. “You won’t go hungry at this fundraiser,” Paduano said.

All of the proceeds will be donated to St. Peter Catholic Academy and to St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Church, located next door to the school. St. Peter Catholic Academy serves five churches in the Bensonhurst/Bath Beach area of Southwest Brooklyn: St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, St. Dominic, St. Finbar, St. Frances Cabrini and Most Precious Blood.

The Domestic Disorder Club, which was formed four years ago, has 24 members and includes several guys who are Catholic school graduates and who enjoy raising money for schools, according to Paduano. “We like to do fundraisers,” said Paduano, a Xaverian High School graduate.

One of the schools the club helped out a few years ago is Mary, Queen of Heaven in Mill Basin, which was headed at the time by the Rev. Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, the director of development for the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. “When Monsignor Jamie moved on to St. Bernard Church, we held a fundraiser for his school there,” Paduano said. Gigantiellos is currently the pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Mill Basin.

For more information on the May 30 event, visit www.domesticdisorder.com.