WOW Carwash raises record $28K for St. Jude children's hospital
The Las Vegas operator's annual fundraiser topped $175,000 in total contributions since 2019, driven largely by guest donations at wash kiosks.
By The Car Wash News Staff
2 min read
WOW Carwash raised more than $28,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through this year's St. Jude Walk at Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas, a record for the operator. According to reporting from Auto Laundry News, the total included more than $18,000 collected from guests at WOW kiosks during car wash purchases, plus a $10,000 corporate contribution.
The company has backed the St. Jude Walk since 2019. Over that span, more than 250 team members have participated, and WOW has contributed more than $175,000 in total. Of that cumulative figure, over $100,000 came from guest donations gathered at the chain's kiosks, with the remainder from corporate giving.
A point-of-sale fundraising model
WOW's approach ties charitable giving directly to the purchase flow. Guests are prompted to add a donation when buying a wash at the kiosk, turning routine transactions into a steady fundraising channel. That mechanism accounted for the majority of this year's haul and the bulk of the lifetime total.
Heath Pomerantz, CEO of WOW Carwash, framed the effort around the company's core service, saying the goal was to support St. Jude "one car wash at time." Lisa Kelly, area managing director at St. Jude, credited the partnership with rallying the Las Vegas community and called the collaboration meaningful.
The St. Jude Walk is an annual event supporting the hospital's work treating childhood cancer and other diseases, with families not billed for treatment, travel, housing, or food.
Why it matters for operators
WOW's results show how a kiosk or point-of-sale donation prompt can turn a high-volume wash into a reliable community fundraising engine. Guest contributions, not corporate checks, made up the larger share of both this year's total and the multiyear figure, which suggests customers will participate when the ask is simple and built into a transaction they are already completing.
For express and other high-throughput operators, the model is worth studying. A small, optional add-on at checkout scales with traffic, requires minimal staff involvement once configured, and generates local goodwill around a recognizable cause. Sustained partnerships, like WOW's multiyear relationship with St. Jude, also compound over time, building a track record that strengthens brand reputation in the local market.
Operators considering a similar program should weigh the choice of charity, how donations are presented at the point of sale, and whether to pair guest giving with a corporate match to amplify the total and signal company commitment. Transparency about where funds go and public reporting of results, as WOW did here, can reinforce customer trust and encourage repeat participation.
