It has been a great pleasure to witness the extraordinary events that Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada’s Drive for Smiles (D4S) have hosted year after year in both Toronto and Montreal. Today is the day that Vancouver commits to bringing the same joy and excitement to seriously ill children and their families within our own community.
Our doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers are doing their very best for these kids, we now have the opportunity to do our part. Putting a smile on the face of a seriously ill child is something that each of us can to do on Saturday, August 17th, 2024.
D4S embodies many things: incredible cars in an exciting setting, support for families in need, community, generosity and gratitude for our many blessings. But to me, its greatest power is to put a smile on the face of a child who is suffering, a sibling who is lost in an impossible situation, or a parent who is going through a difficult time, by sharing your time and enthusiasm for motorsports.
Whether you are a driver or a sponsor, the joy that you will provide will outlast the day many-fold and the memories that you will create for these kids will last a lifetime. Vancouver’s D4S team is most thankful to the drivers for donating their most precious commodity: their time, and to the sponsors for their hard-earned donations in support of our local families in desperate need of something to look forward to. These are powerful experiences and they make a big difference.
The yardstick against which we will determine our success for this first event is a simple one: were there smiles all over the place and did we cement a foundation upon which we can build an even better event, with even more smiles, for Vancouver families in need in 2025? D4S 2024, is the start of something that we hope will grow for decades to come. Families in Montreal and Toronto have been enjoying D4S for many years, Vancouver families have been without for too long.
We would be profoundly grateful and humbled to count on your support of the return of D4S to Vancouver. This event is being resurrected by local automotive enthusiasts in collaboration with Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada and are excited to have all marques of supercars and sports cars represented. We expect that this will be just the first of a longstanding tradition. It takes a village, truly. Please join us.
We hope to see you on Saturday, August 17th 2024.
Thank you,
David Dean
D4S Vancouver Chair