Justin Spurlock, 41, of King William, has organized car shows for years to benefit numerous individuals and groups.
This past Saturday, Spurlock’s 13th car show raised money for 7-year-old Marley Dailey, of Suffolk, who was in need of a wheelchair-accessible van to get around.
“The kid is awesome,” Spurlock said.
Before he was born, Marley became sick while in the womb, resulting in severe brain trauma.
“We found out during the gender ultrasound that something wasn’t right,” Marley’s father, 35-year-old Jay Dailey, said. “We kind of saw it in the nurse’s face.”
Following a series of tests, Marley was diagnosed with cerebral/cortical visual impairment, or CVI.
At 6 months old, Marley started having seizures, which kept him in the hospital for more than a month.
Following his recovery, Marley went on to start preschool at age 3 and has continued to have the full support of his teachers throughout his education.
Saturday’s car show at King William High School raised enough money to provide 7-year-old Marley Dailey and his family with a wheelchair-accessible van. Courtesy of Jay Dailey
In addition to raising Marley, Dailey took in his 17-year-old niece and 12-year-old nephew after his sister died in December.
“The last eight months have definitely been very hard, but I’ve got some good kids and I’ve got some strong kids,” he said. “We’re all getting through it.”
While Marley has his good days and bad days, he is improving in some areas, such as being able to sleep more often. He enjoys listening to reggae music — an appropriate choice considering he was named after Bob Marley.
“He’s starting to flourish,” his father said. “He’s about to go into the second grade, and I’m beyond excited for it.”
Paying it forward
Marley, who is legally blind, uses a wheelchair that he is starting to outgrow, and his father’s current vehicle is becoming a challenge to use for transportation.
Spurlock knows firsthand about the difficulties of navigating the world in a wheelchair. He was paralyzed from a car accident in 2002 just after graduating from high school.
Beginning two years ago, friends, family and community members rallied to build Spurlock an ADA-compliant home, which he moved into last November.
Spurlock had already given back to his community, so the same was done for him. Now, he is back to helping others, including Marley.
Jay Dailey connected with Spurlock earlier this year through two mutual friends from the car show circuit. Spurlock was looking for a recipient to benefit from his next car show, and Marley was the perfect fit.
“I’d heard about Justin for years,” Dailey said. “I used to build bicycles, and I had to go to car shows and everything, and that’s how I met the mutual friends.”
All proceeds from the car, truck and bike show at King William High School went toward a wheelchair-accessible van for Marley and his family. In addition to organizing the show, Spurlock helped source the van. He found a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country that was already converted on Friday and was able to give Dailey the keys and the title on Saturday.
Dailey said he couldn’t talk when he heard that his family was in line to get the van. He said he’s lived a rough life but uses his relationship with God to get him through the dark times and bring him to people like Spurlock.
“Whenever I think about this, it’s like the Lord screams at me, ‘Be patient and I will bring you through it,’” Dailey said. “I’m very blessed to know Justin.”
As for Spurlock, he plans to pay it forward even more.
Thanks to the amount raised at the car show, he said he’s going to make sure the van’s taxes are covered for the next few years. Additionally, Rick’s Tire and Auto in Mechanicsville is going to make sure everything is in great working condition, and Hopewell resident Wade Stancil is going to give Dailey inspections for life and oil changes at no charge, Spurlock said.
“The car community is paying it forward plus more,” he said.
Tidewater Review editor Kim O’Brien Root contributed to this story.
