There were over 230 smiling faces of kids in supercars Saturday morning as the Okanagan Dream Rally made its way from Kelowna to Penticton and back again. August Luxury Motors hosts the event, where underprivileged and sick children go to co-pilot for a unique experience. August Luxury Motors owner Matt August said he reads all the kids’ stories and tries to bring them with a driver he believes will get the most out of the experience. “The stories are just heartbreaking. We had a little boy who was supposed to go with us today and his mom told us he got really sick [to come]. I found out he passed away this morning,” August said. “There are so many kids that you know are terminal, going through these things and to see them smile for that little bit, it pays off for all that hard work. Everything we do is really, really neat.” After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the fifth annual event did not disappoint as it packed spectators along the route along Highway 97. “Every year we do this, there’s something that amazes me. I’ve never seen so many people out there watching us. It was crazy, all the way to Penticton. Every time there was a light or a parking lot where someone can park, there were people there with flags, all these little kids cheering and it’s really, really cool.” This year the rally had a full police escort. “I apologize for the possible traffic problems we caused, but you know waiting for some traffic made the kids smile from ear to ear,” August said with a laugh. “We have to give a big shout out to the RCMP. Without them, this does not happen. 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. Cars would show up in Penticton for hours and hours after another.” This year funds were raised for the Ronald McDonald House and the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation. August said both organizations were chosen because of their dedicated work to help those in need. This year’s Dream Rally featured five cars in memory of 20-year-old Tyrell Flick, who tragically died in a car accident on July 12 in Peachland. Kelowna’s Meal Prep for You donated all meals to participants and volunteers on Saturday, happy to help a worthy cause. “We’re just 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 end with a private after party tonight. “We’ll 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, hopefully, we’re approaching $3 million, and the turnout has been amazing. The volunteers, the drivers, the families, the people who came out and watched, it was incredible.”
