Home Arts+Entertainment

A Wheely Cool Collection

by Lisa Sciortino

in Arts+Entertainment, Profiles

by Lisa Sciortino

Welcome to the Careington/DialCare Auto Museum, located at the recently constructed, 75,000 square-foot corporate campus on Flyers Way in Frisco. The bottom floor of the modern, three-story office building is home to some five dozen classic trucks and automobiles that are only available for viewing by the general public a couple of times each year.</p
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 Founded in 1979, Careington International Corporation offers benefits programs that address health, wellness, lifestyle and financial needs. In 2018, the corporation launched its affiliate company DialCare, which provides comprehensive virtual health programs. Careington’s co-founder and chairman is a lifelong car collector who has owned hundreds of vehicles. </p
p>The vehicles on display at the museum — a variety of makes and models dating back to the 1930s — include some that have been meticulously restored while others remain relatively untouched with the exception of new upholstery or a refreshed paint job. The collection also features a few replica cars including a 1953 Corvette Convertible, a 1964 Ford Cobra and a 1928 Ford Model A. </p
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 Inside the space, the vehicles are largely grouped by make, model or decade. A handful of Corvettes, ranging from the 1950s through ‘80s, inhabit the center of the museum, alongside several Ford Falcons and Mustangs. </p
p>Not far from the front doors are a trio of mid-1950s-era Chevrolets, including a 1957 Chevy Bel Air with its iconic tailfins, parked adjacent to a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle muscle car. In a back corner of the building reside a trio of stately vintage limousines including an unrestored 1939 Cadillac Series 75 with only 18,000 miles on the odometer.  </p
p>A good many of the museum’s four-wheeled beauties were manufactured by car companies that have long since gone out of business. There are several stunning Packards, Mercurys and Oldsmobiles on display here. Another not-to-be-missed vehicle is the 1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner, famous for its retractable hardtop system.</p
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 For good causes </p
p>The doors to the museum open only twice annually to the public. In May, it welcomed visitors during the second annual Frisco Charity Car Show (another is slated for 2023). A second show, to be hosted by the Dallas Area Pontiac Association, is planned this fall.  Otherwise, the museum and its contents usually are only seen during private tours for Careington/DialCare clients or when the space is rented for private and corporate events. </p
p>All donations received during the free car shows benefit a pair of charities that are supported by Careington and DialCare.  </p
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 Families of World War II Veterans was founded by Barbara Fasola, chief executive officer of Careington International Corporation, DialCare and affiliate companies Careington Benefit Solutions and Munroe Sutton. The daughter of a military veteran, she established the organization in 2010 following her fourth visit to the D-Day beaches of Normandy, France. </p
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 “I realized I wanted to somehow bring a piece of Normandy and the story of the brave participants who played a role in this war to future generations who may not be as closely connected as I am,” Fasola says in a statement on the Families of World War II Veterans website (familiesww2veterans.org). “The idea to create a charity that celebrated the heroes and the sacrifices of these men and women by awarding scholarships to deserving young college-bound students seemed like a perfect fit.” </p
p>Through fundraising efforts from its annual golf tournament, corporate sponsorships and individual donations, the charity funds $2,500 scholarships that it awards annually to college-bound and continuing college students. (If students meet the scholarship’s requirements, they will receive the sum each semester for up to four years.) Last year, the charity awarded 10 scholarships, the applications for which were weighted heavily on financial need, grades, community service and recommendation letters.   </p
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