Leet woman wins Ford EcoSport S in Eat’n Park Caring for Kids Campaign raffle

Kim Roppa recalled presenting a check to Children’s Hospital at KDKA Radio in Downtown Pittsburgh from money she and her classmates raised to help youngsters with medical issues.

Roppa, then 12, was a sixth-grader in the Quaker Valley School District. She was selected as her school’s spokeswoman.

That was 46 years ago.

Sometimes, life comes full circle.

Roppa purchased a few $2 tickets in the Eat’n Park Caring for Kids Campaign Ford vehicle raffle. Her name was drawn out of 17,000 entries as the winner of a black 2021 Ford EcoSport S. She was presented with the car on Jan. 19 at Crivelli Ford in Hopewell. Proceeds from the raffle benefit the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation.

“This car is beautiful,” said Roppa, a Leet resident. “I can’t believe it’s mine. Wow, just wow.”

Roppa purchased the winning ticket at the Eat’n Park in Cranberry. She, her sister Kathleen Roppa, and their 90-year-old mother Josephine Roppa had lunch there the Monday after Thanksgiving.

When Roppa received a call she won, at first, she didn’t believe it. Once she realized it was true, she cried. As a member of the support staff for children in grades K-5 at State Street Elementary in the Ambridge School District, Roppa helps lead a campaign to raise money yearly for Children’s Hospital. She’s been in education for 35 years.

The same day she learned she won, she and a colleague Stacey Brock and some students presented a check virtually on KDKA radio.

“Children’s Hospital has always been near and dear to my heart,” Roppa said. “I have continued to raise money for Children’s Hospital all of these years because they take amazing care of children.”

Watching Roppa climb into the new car was heartwarming, said Nick Hiller, sales operations manager Ford Motor Co. Pittsburgh Region.

“This is the human element to this program,” Hiller said. “At Ford, we are so proud to be able to be part of this. When I told my 11-year-old son I was going to Children’s Hospital with the check that will help children who are sick, he told me it was important that I go. My son understood the importance of me being there.”

This most recent campaign raised $164,409 for a dozen children’s hospitals. The campaign raised $145,852 for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville.

The Caring for Kids Campaign has raised more than $11 million to support children’s hospitals across the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group footprint. Ticket sales from the car raffle have contributed more than $1 million to the campaign.

Neighborhood Ford Store, which has been part of the campaign for more than 30 years, is a regional group of 80 Ford dealers located in western Pennsylvania, central and northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and the panhandle of Maryland.

Ford selects the location for the car presentation based on where the winner lives. It was the first time Crivelli hosted. The four-wheel-drive vehicle is worth $22,800, Hiller said. Roppa said she loves the smell of a new car.

“I am overwhelmed,” said Roppa, who posed for photos with Smiley, the Eat’n Park mascot. “I never dreamed this could happen to me. I am at a loss for words and people who know me know I am never at a loss for words. I am a teacher.”

The Caring for Kids charity originated in the Butler restaurant in 1979, said Courtney Caprara, Eat’n Park manager of direct channel marketing.

“It all began with a few team members who wanted to help,” said Caprara. “People like Kim who purchase a ticket see it is bigger than buying a ticket and winning a car. It is about helping children.”

Kathy Wagler, owner of Crivelli Ford, said she attended the drawing because she is vice-chair of the Neighborhood Ford Store. She has owned the dealership for 30 years and has been in the car business for 54 years, having started working in high school at Sto-Rox.

“Kim was so excited about the car when I talked to her,” Wagler said. “She asked me what color it is and when I told her black, she was so happy. That is the color she wanted.”

The money from the campaign will go directly to the Free Care Fund, which helps families who can’t afford hospital care, said Teresa Castillo Donoza, development coordinator for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation.

“This money is such a big relief, because we have been seeing an increased need because of the pandemic with many parents out of work,” Donoza said. “The fact that Kim has been raising money for this for so many years it is great it has come full circle that she wins the car.”

It certainly is.