The push to preserve Berwyn’s iconic “Spindle” car statue has spread like wildfire, thanks to the immediacy of the Internet.

The campaign has spread worldwide through online news sites, and in the three weeks since the story broke, at least two Berwyn-based sites dedicated solely to the statue’s preservation have popped up.

“Fundraising campaigns were a lot harder when it was just word of mouth and letter writing,” said Maggie Ragaisis, founder of www.savethespindle.com. “With the Internet, you can reach so many more people and so quickly, which helps since we’re working on a time crunch here. They want to take the “Spindle” down in September, so that doesn’t give us a lot of time, and the Internet really helps us with that.”

Ragaisis’ Web site was one of the first “Spindle” preservation sites developed since people found out it was going to be removed to make room for a new Walgreens along Cermak Road in the Cermak Plaza. Construction will begin later this year, according to the shopping center’s management company.

In the past week since the site launched, it has received thousands of hits and tons of e-mails, some from as far away as England. The site’s kick-off party, held last Friday night at Garv Inn in Berwyn, was attended by more than 100 people from all over the area.

“It’s really amazing considering how short of a time it’s been up,” Ragaisis said. “It’s nice to see that even people from outside of Berwyn recognize the ‘Spindle’ as something worth saving. There was a very long time when people fought the ‘Spindle,’ so it’s nice to know so many feel connected to it now that’s it’s been here so long.”

Ragaisis is now forming a preservation foundation associated with the Web site — the Friends of the Spindle group. Once the foundation gains non-profit status, all donations to them will be tax deductible.

Ragaisis hopes to use the site as a tool for fundraising, and plans to accept donations and sell “Save the Spindle” T-shirts through it.

Days after Ragaisis’ site hit the Web, Berwyn resident Bonnie Gibbons began her own pro-preservation site, www.SaveOurSpindle.com, a blog dedicated to chronicling the Save the Spindle campaign.

Employed as a Web site developer, she said she has seen the huge role the Internet has played in spreading the word about the campaign and connecting people internationally with resources to get involved and help out.

“It’s the instantaneousness of the Internet and the fact that you can reach people from all over the world immediately,” Gibbons said. “It engages people and has generated a lot of enthusiasm for the ‘Spindle’s’ plight. You can reach a much bigger audience than if you just held a town meeting.”