Dapper Dan’s Car Wash in Santa Clarita had a special fan this Halloween, when 12-year-old Derek Schaefer of Valencia decided he wanted to dress as a Dapper Dan staff member.

Derek has Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects one out of 700 babies in the United States. He goes to Dapper Dan’s Car Wash two to three times a week with his father, Scott Schaefer, in what has become a father-son routine.

12-year-old Derek Schaefer in his costume at Dapper Dan’s.

So when Halloween rolled around, Derek’s mother, Cindy Schaefer, had an idea. When she asked him if he wanted to go as “Dapper Dan,” Derek responded with a big smile. So she went to the car wash to see if it was possible to rent or purchase a Dapper Dan’s uniform.

“So I went and chatted with [the senior manager] Mr. Atwood, and he went out of his way to create the whole costume,” Cindy said. “It was really neat.”

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Bill Atwood gave himself the task of assembling Derek’s costume because he didn’t have a uniform that would fit a child. So Atwood got Derek’s sizes, and had a Dapper Dan patch sewn on along with a utility pouch.

“He’s kind of a celebrity around here,” Atwood said of Derek. “He brings joy to me and my staff, and it was an honor to do this for him. He’s a great kid.”

When the costume was completed, Atwood showed Derek how each piece was used by car wash staff.

Donning his new costume and with a smile on his face, Derek shook Atwood’s hand and was even given the opportunity to operate the wash and wave cars in.

“He smiled real big… He didn’t want to take (the costume) off,” Cindy said. “Mr. Atwood told me that Derek is the first honorary member of Dapper Dan’s.”