Smith: This way, Cody’s caring lives on

Cody McBride was just one of those people who’d stop what he was doing if he spotted someone in need of a hand or a touch of human kindness.

“He’d leave his truck to help a woman load her groceries,” said the 2009 Montgomery High grad’s dad, Sean.

“He always cared about people. He’d give you his last $10, if that’s what it took.”

A hard worker and hard-driving off-road racer, Cody died in May in a construction-site accident as he helped dig a new swimming pool in Sonoma Valley. He was 23.

It’s pretty nice, what his relatives and friends are doing to keep alive the Santa Rosa native’s legacy of helping others.

They’ve created Cody Cares, a community chest that takes in donations and proceeds from benefit events and asks Sonoma County residents for suggestions of children, adults and families that would make a good candidate to receive a cash gift.

“It could be anybody,” Sean McBride said. He imagines that recipients of donations from Cares could include a family unable to pay its PG&E bill, a student with no money for school clothes, perhaps someone needing help to afford some badly needed dental work.

Check out codycares689.com and you’ll find a nomination form for submitting the name of a deserving person or family to Sean McBride and the other members of the Cody Cares board of directors.

At this point the new organization has taken in more than $10,000 and it’s just begun identifying potential beneficiaries. Cody’s dad said the board teamed up with T&B Sports and donated to the Boys & Girls Club near Montgomery Village a ping-pong table and a bunch of playground balls.

A slogan of the quest to help people in tribute to Cody McBride is “689 Forever.” That’s because 689 is the number on the truck he raced and raced well, graduating from the amateur to pro division shortly before his death.

His dad shared why Cody liked racing number 689: “If his truck flipped upside down, you could still read his number.”

“Our big thing now is, ‘689 Forever.’”

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THE RING that evidently slipped from Jo Simpson’s finger in Rohnert Park about a week ago boasts a one-carat diamond set in white gold.

She hadn’t worn it long. She and Volney “Bud” Simpson were married only in February.

Jo thinks she knows why the ring fell off as she shopped at Lowe’s and Home Depot near her Rohnert Park home.

“I’ve lost considerable weight,” said Jo, who is in her late 60s, and struggles with cancer.

In her mind’s eye she’s well and the ring Bud gave her is back where it belongs.

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A KARMANN GHIA is up for adoption by the Sonoma Humane Society.

The meticulously maintained 1967 VW was donated to the animal-welfare nonprofit by a woman who’s father bought it new. She asked the Humane Society to use the sweet old car to raise money to maintain and expand the agency’s services.

So win-the-Ghia raffle tickets are for sale for $100 each. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Society’s Aug. 14 “Wags, Whiskers and Wine” gala.

To buy a raffle ticket, stop by the Sonoma Humane Society on Highway 12 between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, or visit sonomahumane.org.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @CJSPD.