Colton Henderson, a junior at Xaverian, has long been a passionate automotive photographer and designer, but in 2024, he was inspired to turn that passion into purpose by fundraising for a cause close to his heart. Alongside fellow automotive photographer and co-founder Matt Guarino, he launched Cars Cure Cancer, a charity that hosts car shows and automotive fundraising events with proceeds benefiting families affected by cancer.

The mission was deeply personal. Colton had witnessed a young family member battle cancer, and Matt is a survivor himself. Both are now healthy and the duo is motivated to give back. “We wanted to combine our love for cars with a way to make a difference,” says Colton. “Our plan was to partner with an established 501(c)(3) so we could ensure the money we raised went to the right place and made the biggest impact.” Their first event, a meet-up at Supercharged Entertainment in Wrentham, raised funds for the Jimmy Fund. This year, they partnered with the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, whose support helped promote their second event and brought former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich out to show his support and make a donation. Colton describes this second event as an “exotic cars and coffee,” featuring Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens.

Beyond organizing logistics with Matt, Colton has used his graphic design skills to build the Cars Cure Cancer brand, from creating the logo, which fuses a cancer ribbon with a silhouette filled with cars to symbolize the drive toward a cure, to designing flyers and social media posts that gained over 110,000 views and 1,200 shares. “We used confirmation posts on Instagram to show what supercars would be attending,” he says. “It took a lot of time, but seeing it all come together made it worth it.” 

The event raised several thousand dollars, and the team is aiming even higher moving forward. More importantly, Colton says, it’s about the impact. “Knowing where the money is going and who it’s helping makes everything feel even more meaningful.” From leadership and communication to organization and marketing, Colton has learned valuable skills, but more than that, he’s seen the power of community come to life. He and Matt are grateful to all who have supported them along the way, including Brendan Colin ’22, Aston Martin Boston, Lotus of Boston, Supreme Clientele Auto Care, ModProAI, and Bev Voyage—and they’re excited for what comes next.

Photo 1 - Hunter Andruzzi, Colton Henderson ’27, Rob Ninkovich, Matthew Guarino

Photo 2 - Cars Cure Cancer Logo created by Colton Henderson ’27

Photo 3 - Brendan Colin '22 and Colton Henderson ’27