VIOLET EFFECT

Steve Napleton and his wife suffered an unimaginable loss in 2022 when their 3-year-old daughter died from pediatric brain cancer. In October, the Steve Napleton Auto Group will raise funds for the fourth straight year to honor her legacy.

When Steve and Madeline Napleton lost their 3-year-old daughter, Violet, to a form of pediatric brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, they were understandably devastated, unsure how to move forward from such a tragedy.

But as he explains, Violet’s spirit and resilience at such a young age inspired them to keep fighting in her honor by founding the Violet Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to saving the lives of children diagnosed with brain tumors.

“In today’s day and age, no child should face a terminal diagnosis, and no parents should face losing their child,” says Steve. “We hope that the money we raise for research one day leads to a breakthrough that saves the lives of kids affected by brain cancer from then on.”

While pediatric brain cancer kills more children in the United States than any other form of cancer, many standard treatments for some types have not changed in 60 years. Funds raised by the Violet Foundation support clinical trials to develop better treatment options for children affected by DIPG.

To expand that reach even further, Steve says Napleton’s Countryside Mazda recently joined forces with Notre Dame Quarterback CJ Carr, whose family started ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation after Carr lost his brother Chad to DIPG.

“We followed CJ’s lead,” Steve continues. “He wanted to do something meaningful together to raise awareness and hopefully funds for pediatric brain cancer research, and Mazda has a real commitment to social issues that made it a perfect fit.”

For Carr, the mission is about honoring his little brother and finding a cure.

“It’s a great way to combine forces and do some good,” says Carr. “My family and ChadTough are really excited to be working with the Steve Napleton Automotive Group. I think it’s important to keep Violet and Chad’s legacy going and that’s another goal of what we’re doing here.”

Every October, the Steve Napleton Automotive Group fundraises in honor of Violet’s birthday, who would have turned 7 this October 15. Last year, the effort grew beyond the group—bringing together more than 100 dealerships nationwide in an initiative called Driven for Kids. With the combined support of those dealerships’ customers and the Notre Dame football fanbase, Steve hopes his little girl’s mission will inspire others to rally behind lifesaving research.

“One of the most rewarding things is that people who never would have met Violet end up learning about her and her beautiful, silly, sweet spirit,” he says. “She never got a chance to fully write her own legacy, so we’re doing the best we can to help her do so now—and what better legacy could there be than to save children who came after her.”

For more information about the Violet Foundation, visit violetfoundation.org. For more information about Steve Napleton Automotive Group, visit stevenapleton.com.