VINTON, Va. – Hundreds of people spent their weekend supporting 4-year-old Roanoke girl Rowan Price.
10 News has been following her fight against a rare, aggressive form of leukemia since October, and now the community is stepping up to fight with her.
Classic cars poured into Vinton on Saturday for the Rowan Price Benefit Car Show.
"It just took off like a wildfire, and ever since then, it's just been like a locomotive, and it just won't slow down," organizer Kevin Jenkins said.
The show was about more than just the engines and the ingenuity.
"They need us now more than ever," Jenkins said.
The show was organized to support the Price family, currently living out its worst nightmare. They thought Rowan had been cured by a bone marrow transplant, but learned last month that her cancer had returned. She’s now enduring more treatment through a clinical trial at UNC to try to save her life.
"It struck hard for me because I have a 2-year-old daughter myself that went through major surgery last year and we were in the same boat that the Price family's in," Jenkins said.
Jenkins heard about Rowan and knew he had to help, so he organized the Rowan Price Benefit Car Show this weekend, which spurred even more support, inspiring a full Warrior Princess Weekend. It kicked off Friday night with a benefit at Soaring Ridge Brewery. All proceeds from weekend fundraisers are going straight to the Price family for medical costs and to help keep them together during this difficult time.
"Both Mandy and Scott are at the hospital. Neither are working right now, nor have they been," Rowan's grandmother, Linda McCall, said.
Few know the pain the Price’s have experienced since October like Rowan's grandmother, but sights like she saw Saturday give her hope.
"It just makes your heart almost burst," McCall said. "Oh my gosh, it's overwhelming. Outstanding. Unbelievable."
“I will say with complete confidence that this is a major success," Jenkins said.
The community that's Rowan strong now has more horsepower than ever before.
"This outdoes anything that they've done. This is incredible, and we appreciate everything," Jenkins said.
Organizers are still waiting on final numbers but know they had more than 220 cars turn out Saturday, making it one of the biggest local car shows ever. They plan to make this an annual event benefitting a different local family in need every year.
Click here to help the Price family.