Casey Richardson
There were over 230 smiling children’s faces in Supercars Saturday morning as the Okanagan Dream Rally made its way from Kelowna to Penticton and back.
August Luxury Motors hosts the event where underprivileged and sick children become co-pilots for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
August Luxury Motors owner Matt August said he reads all the kids’ stories and tries to put them with a driver he thinks gets the most out of the experience.
“The stories are just heartbreaking. We had a little boy who was supposed to ride with us today and his mother told us he was very sick [to come]. I found out this morning that he passed away,” said Augustus.
“There are so many kids who you know are terminally ill going through these things and to see them smile for that little bit makes all that hard work pay off.” Everything we do is really, really polished.”
After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the fifth annual event did not disappoint as it packed spectators along the Highway 97 route.
“Every year we do this, there’s something that just ‘wows’ me. I have never seen so many people watching us. It was crazy all the way, all the way to Penticton. Every time there was a light or a parking lot where someone could park, there were people with flags cheering for all these little kids and it was really, really great.”
This year the rally had a full police escort.
“I apologize for maybe the traffic problems we caused, but I just know that waiting in traffic made the kids smile,” August said with a laugh.
“We have to give a big shout out to the RCMP. It doesn’t happen without them. And the city of Kelowna, the city of Penticton, the Department of Transportation, without all of that being shut down, we wouldn’t be here. There will be cars showing up in Penticton for hours and hours on end.
This year, funds were raised for the Ronald McDonald House and the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation.
August said both organizations were chosen for their dedicated work helping those in need.
This year’s Dream Rally featured five cars in memory of 20-year-old Tyrell Flick, who was tragically killed in a car accident on July 12 in Peachland.
Kelowna’s Meal Prep for You donated all lunches to Saturday’s participants and volunteers, happy to help a worthy cause.
“We feel honored and privileged to be a part of this event, it raised a lot of money and helped a lot of people,” said partner and former NHLer Duncan Keith. “It was great to see some of the kids and meet some of them today.”
The Dream Rally will return through Kelowna and conclude with a private party tonight.
“We’re going to be on our way to over a million dollars today,” August said. “We’ve raised about $1.7 million since we started doing this. And today we’re hopefully close to $3 million and the turnout is great. The volunteers, the drivers, the families, the people who came out and watched, it was amazing.”
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