Mover & Shaker of the Month - Gavin Zoelle

By Paula Green

Gavin Zoelle is a senior at Seneca Valley High School. Since it is his final year, Gavin knew he would be immersing himself in his major class assignment. “When I had to plan a senior project, I was excited to do a fundraiser for The Highmark Caring Place. I was excited to give back to a place that helped me so much,” Gavin said.

“I went to The Caring Place after my little brother passed away when I was ten. Caden was eight years old when he succumbed to a brain tumor. I found the Caring Place to be a wonderful place for kids to go to grieve. Families come together and be with others who understand what they’re going through. When I was there, I felt like I could relate to everyone around me,” added Gavin.

To raise money for The Caring Place, Gavin decided to sponsor a charity car show. “My grandfather, Rick Zoelle, has a true passion for cars. I had attended many car shows with him, especially when I was younger. My cousin also did a car show for his senior project several years ago, and it was very successful. I just knew having a car show was the right thing for me to do. To get started, I had to come up with a name for my show. I came up with ‘Cars That Care.’ I then went to a local business and asked for donations. I was blown away by how generous everyone was. Local businesses, family, friends, and people I have never even met all donated to this wonderful event. We had 26 gift baskets donated to raffle off. I started this fundraiser with a goal to raise $1,000. I ended up raising $11,300,” Gavin said.

Gavin resides in Harmony Township with his parents, Chris and Rachael Zoelle. He plays football and baseball for Seneca Valley. Gavin also plays baseball for The Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs. He plans to attend a four-year college and wants to major in Special Education.

Gavin is grateful for the help that he received from The Highmark Caring Place. As he noted, “The encouragement from this organization was truly impactful. I will be forever grateful for all of their support.”

To learn more about how you can get involved with The Highmark Caring Place, visit their website at: www.highmarkcaringplace.com