Thirty years ago a small group of auto enthusiasts met to form a booster organization for the Museum The purpose of this organization was to support and promote the Museum through such events as social activities, pitch-in dinners, mystery tours and parties.

As the years passed it became evident that the Museum was in need of some financial support since it had been formed without an endowment fund. Therefore, the Friends decided that here was an opportunity to become a full service auxiliary capable of providing volunteers, program development and financial assistance. And so, along with the social events already established, the Friends now added fund raising events to their schedule.

These events have included:

• Greater Cleveland Auto Show
• Cleveland Air Show
• Ticket sales of an annual raffle car
• The Cleveland Grand Prix
• Wings and Wheels Crawford Meet
• Hale Farm Auto Show
• Friends Night Out
• Mystery Tours
• Concours D'Ordinaire

The Friends are proud to have generated more than $250,000 and 300 members for the museum over the last 25 years. From these funds some of the things we have been able to do for the museum are:

• Purchase 7 vehicles
• Purchase, in full or part, 3 aircraft
• Help in restoring the first traffic signal
• Interior decorations for the museum
• Aid in printing a catalog
• Purchase audio and video equipment
• Purchase artifacts
• Provided parts and outside services for the restoration of collection autos and aircraft
• Support the Senior Outreach Program
• Purchase tools and supplies for vehicle maintenance and restoration

Volunteers who provide the hands on assistance in maintaining and restoring the collection vehicles and aircraft are selected from our membership. We conduct events of our own, provide volunteers to assist in museum events and work closely with museum staff in plans and preparations for numerous activities. We are very proud of the role we have played throughout the years in support of the museum and we have had a lot of fun in the process. You can join us and share in the pride we enjoy by helping preserve the rich history of the auto and aviation industries by becoming a member of the Friends Of Crawford. It's easy--just become a member of the Western Reserve Historical Society and membership is free!