AVW Equipment volunteers build backyard playset for child with cancer

Nearly two dozen employees from AVW Equipment Company spent a July 28, 2026 volunteer day assembling and installing a backyard playset for a child facing cancer, according to reporting from Car Wash Business Center. The build was coordinated through the Roc Solid Foundation, a nonprofit focused on supporting children and families affected by pediatric cancer.

The family-owned manufacturer, based in Maywood, Illinois, has served car wash operators for more than 50 years. For this project, workers put their assembly and installation skills to use away from the production floor, helping create a dedicated play space close to the child's home.

Volunteers contribute time and labor

Employees handled assembly, installation and supporting tasks throughout the day. The effort aligned with Roc Solid's mission of building hope through play for children in treatment and their families.

Nina Djordjevic, the company's CSR Team Manager, framed the work as a way to support families carrying the weight of a cancer diagnosis. "We can't take that burden away, but we can give our time," she said, describing the day as a meaningful chance to help create moments that belong to childhood. AVW credited Roc Solid for arranging the opportunity and thanked the employees who participated in the build.

A manufacturer steps outside the plant

For AVW, the project offered a hands-on community effort that drew on the same practical skills its staff apply to building car wash systems. The company operates under a guiding philosophy it describes as Car Washing Made Simple, and the volunteer day extended that hands-on approach to a cause outside the business.

Community involvement of this kind is common across the car wash sector, where operators and suppliers alike frequently tie their brands to local causes and charitable campaigns. Recent examples include fundraising drives tied to cancer organizations run by wash chains.

Why it matters for operators

Community involvement is one of the lower-cost, higher-visibility tools available to any car wash business, and this example shows it does not require a large marketing budget. A single volunteer day organized through an established nonprofit gives staff a shared purpose, generates goodwill in the local market, and produces authentic content for social channels and customer communications.

For operators weighing how to build community ties, partnering with an existing foundation removes much of the logistical burden. The nonprofit handles coordination, selects the recipient, and provides a clear framework for the project, letting the business focus on contributing labor and time. That structure makes a program repeatable year after year.

There is also an internal benefit. Team-building events built around a cause can strengthen employee morale and retention, both of which remain persistent challenges in an industry that relies on frontline labor. Operators looking to differentiate their brand in a crowded market may find that consistent, genuine community work resonates more with customers than discounts alone.