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Car wash benefits Des Moines Linda Lubin wore a look of satisfaction Saturday morning, the result of wiping down wet cars for a worthwhile cause.
"We do good work," Lubin said, wiping the hood of the car with quick, circular motions. The parking lot of the realty company, at Arneill Road and Daily Drive, was transformed Saturday morning into a custom car wash - with all the proceeds from the event going to help flood victims in Des Moines, Iowa. The company's corporate headquarters, Better Homes and Gardens, is in Des Moines. "I'm really having fun. It's a great cause," a smiling Lubin said. Holding the benefit to aid victims living near the Des Moines headquarters rather than for all flood victims made the event more personal, said Bill Mason, co-owner of the local branch. "It's a little bit like relatives helping relatives," Mason said, adding "a lot of our employees were touched by the flood." Employee Anne Geib was staffing a table for donations for flood victims. She said the Mason-Churchill office will send a check to the company headquarters, and corporate representatives will direct the money to the local flood relief effort. The Realtors were asking for a minimum donation of $5 for a car wash, and by noon had raised close to $500, Mason said. "People thank us for doing this," he said. Cars were actually washed by Lance Winslow and his crew, who make up the Car Wash Guys, a local portable car wash business that donated its services for the day. The bright balloons and signs attracted some motorists who needed to shed road grime and liked to give something back in return. Hundreds of homes and businesses in Des Moines were inundated by flood waters in recent weeks, and the city was without running water for several days. News reports said Saturday the level of the Mississippi River was showing signs of dropping, but experts predict it will take two years for the Midwest to bounce back. Reprinted from The Carmarillo Daily News, August 8, 1993.
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A Realtor for Mason-Churchill Realty, Lubin was
one of several real estate agents from the company who set aside her regular duties and
picked up a drying cloth, all in the name of helping flood victims in the Midwest.