With all seven (about to be eight!) generations of Corvettes represented among its active members, the Corvette Owners Club of Houston has been in existence for 18 years. This 501(c)(3) organization follows the National Corvette Club bylaws and rules, and they participate in the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. Our local club has one full-fledged GM sponsor: Classic Chevy Sugar Land. “We do lots of projects together,” says club President Bill Hoffman. “And Classic Chevy Sugar Land graciously allows us to hold our regular meetings in their conference room.” The club’s two largest events—the “Serious Wheels” open car show in the fall and the “Corvettes Ready” car show in the spring—raise money for local charities. The Corvette Owners Club of Houston is also the host and founder of Vettes for Vets, an annual event that has no money involved. Its sole mission is to provide a great experience for veterans.
Vettes for Vets is the culmination of an idea hatched by Bill himself. He wanted to get a group of veterans together and take them for a Corvette ride experience. Bill says, “At our first event in 2016, 93 veterans rode in 93 Corvettes from Sugar Land, down Highway 6, to the MSR Houston track in Angleton. For the veterans that required caregivers, Classic Chevy Sugar Land provided vans to follow our Corvette caravan. After about a half hour on the track, lunch was provided by Joe’s BBQ of Alvin. Then our caravan headed back to Sugar Land.” Today, the club has three Vettes for Vets events under its belt.
The best part? “The conversations that take place on the trip between Sugar Land and Angleton,” says Bill. “About 95% of the veterans had never been in a Corvette, and 98% had never seen how one of these cars handles on the track. One individual had not left his home in seven years, and another had not eaten BBQ in 10 years. It’s an event our members talk about until the next one rolls around!”
Classic Chevy Sugar Land owner Jeff Sebastian says, “We are proud to sponsor the Corvette Owners Club of Houston and all that they do for our community and our veterans. As part of our partnership, starting October 6th we are displaying a Gold Standard caliber Corvette in our showroom every month. Gold Standard means the car has been preserved or restored to within 98 to 100% of the standard for the day the car rolled off the assembly line. It’s fun to see some of these old Vettes look like new 40, 50 and almost 60 years later!”
Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land
281-491-9000
13115 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.classicchevysugarland.com