Cindy White Drivers will be taking a shorter route but will still give supercar enthusiasts plenty to “ooh and aah” over during this year’s Okanagan Dream Rally. This is the 6th edition of the unique charity supercar rally that pairs drivers with children and youth in need as co-pilots. So far, the event, organized by the August Family Foundation, has raised more than $3.
3 million. All proceeds raised this year will be supporting Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon and the KGH Foundation. Two-hundred-fifty luxury automobiles are expected to set out from Water Street near Prospera Place in downtown Kelowna on July 27.
Instead of going all the way down Highway 97 to Penticton, like in past years, they will turn at the last set of lights in Peachland (Princeton Avenue/Beach Avenue) and tour down Beach Avenue. “So, it will be a really, really cool spot for a lot of people to view the rally, as we will be going quite slow through there. Also, a neat place for if you’re a boater or on the water.
Really cool place to pull up and watch all the cars go,” said Matt August, co-founder August Family Foundation and owner of August Luxury Motor Cars. August himself matches the drivers with their young co-pilots. Families of children undergoing health and other challenges can fill out an online application through the Okanagan Dream Rally website.
“I do know a lot of the drivers quite well. If I have a driver that has been in remission with cancer and has a child with cancer in the car, it has that really cool tie to help the kid keep pushing,” said August. He is proud of the fact many of the drivers and kids form a connection that lasts for years.
He still keeps in touch with his co-pilot from the first Dream Rally. “I got to know a kid named Joseph and him and I rode together. He had spent hundreds of nights at Ronald McDonald House down in Vancouver, and to this day he comes in.
“He came in on his 16th birthday with his L saying, hey! I got my license.” Drivers come from all over Western Canada and the U.S.
to take part. One of the rarest cars to join the rally was a Ferrari F50 that someone brought in from Calgary a few years ago. August estimates that vehicle is probably worth $5 million.
After this year’s event, the Dream Rally will be held every two years instead of annually. If you want to get a good view of the supercars, make sure to follow the Okanagan Dream Rally Facebook Page , Instagram account and the website. Local businesses are encouraged to help support the fundraising efforts by sponsoring a car.
If you want to donate, you can do so through Go Fund Me..
