Cartoon-festooned mini-van brings relief for local family
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HAPPY WHEELS — Kevin Kadinger of Colfax was able to find this Grand Caravan, which had been owned by Mary Ward. Kadinger hauled the mini-van from Maple Grove, Minn., to help a Colfax family in need. Ward, who could no longer drive the van, had painted the cartoon characters herself and was happy to know the van was going to someone who really needed it and would take good care of it. — Photo by LeAnn R. Ralph
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — If you see the Tom and Kelly Hendrickson family out with their new-to-them vehicle — be sure to wave.
How will you know it is the Hendricksons?
Their vehicle is likely the only silver Dodge Grand Caravan in western Wisconsin with a custom paint job featuring cartoon characters.
The process for acquiring the mini-van started a few weeks ago when the engine seized up on the vehicle the Hendricksons were driving.
Kelly and Tom are raising their grandchildren and having a vehicle in good running order is a necessity.
Enter Kevin Kadinger.
Kadinger, of Colfax, hauled away the Hendricksons’ old vehicle for scrap, and the Hendricksons asked Kadinger if he might be able to find a low-cost vehicle for them.
Kadinger said he would try — and, much to his surprise, one day later, the cartoon-festooned mini-van popped up on his phone.
The woman who owned the mini-van is Minnesota resident Mary Ward.
Kadinger donated his time and his equipment to drive four hours to Maple Grove, Minnesota, to haul the mini-van back to Colfax.
Ward suffered a stroke early in July and could no longer drive the mini-van. She had painted the cartoon characters herself.
According to the Caring Bridge website, Ward was able to go home from a rehabilitation program to live with her daughter, Heidi, toward the end of August after being in the hospital for almost six weeks.
Sold
Not long after Kadinger had made contact about the Grand Caravan, he saw that it was suddenly listed as “sold.”
At first, Kadinger was upset because he thought that meant the van had been sold to someone else.
As it turned out, the mini-van had been marked as sold, even though it technically was not quite a done deal, because Ward kept getting calls about the van and did not want to take more telephone calls, Kadinger said.
Kadinger had explained about the Hendricksons and how they really needed the vehicle.
Ward had decided she wanted the Hendricksons to have the vehicle. She knew what it was like to be in difficult circumstances, and she knew they would take good care of it.
After all, Kelly Hendrickson is an artist, too.
Ward was receiving telephone calls from people who were offering her more money than the price for which she had listed the van, Kadinger said.
The mini-van was listed at $1,200.
One of the people who called had even offered $2,000 for the van because of the unique custom paint job, Kadinger said.
More to the story
Heidi Ward has let Kadinger know that her mother is “exhilarated” that the mini-van is going to the Hendricksons.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Mark and Nancy Mouledoux of Colfax raised $1,100 through their church to buy the mini-van for the Hendricksons, Kadinger said.
Kadinger put in the final $100 himself.
The plan was to present the mini-van to the Hendricksons after Sunday worship on October 20, Kadinger said when he talked with the Colfax Messenger last Wednesday afternoon.
Kadinger is a member at Bethany Lutheran Church.
The Grand Caravan, which has 150,000 miles on it, runs and drives well, Kadinger said.
At first, the brakes on the mini-van were noisy, but Kadinger said his dad had told him to just keep driving it around.
Ward had not been able to drive the Grand Caravan for several months, so there was some rust on the brakes, he said.
Sure enough, Kadinger said, as he has been driving the Grand Caravan around, the noise problems have resolved.
Kadinger washed and waxed the Caravan, too, and cleaned the interior so the Hendricksons would not have to worry about doing it themselves.
Kwik Trip
When Kadinger stopped at a Kwik Trip on his way back from Minnesota with the Grand Caravan, a woman from Ohio who was “out on an adventure” with her grandchild videotaped the mini-van because it was so unique.
Another woman had her three children with her. The children were upset because their mom would not buy them something they wanted.
Kadinger said he called one of the youngsters over to see the cartoon characters, and the youngster had called his siblings over to see the mini-van.
Kadinger told the mom she should come take a look, too, because the van “was something definitely worth seeing.”
In addition to being an artist, Mary Ward had worked as a plumber.
It’s probably not all that often you see a woman working as a plumber, Kadinger noted.
It’s not often that you see Rocky and Bullwinkle painted on a mini-van, either.
Or Pepe Le Pew.
Or Snoopy and Woodstock, for that matter.
So if you do see the Hendricksons — wave.
Kelly and Tom did give the Messenger permission to use their names in the story.
As Kelly Hendrickson noted with a laugh, “This is Colfax. Within a week, everyone is going to know who’s driving the van, anyway.”
