Hotdogs, hot cars and a few tips on washing cars will be part of the fun at a car wash fundraiser this weekend.
The action happens at the Mid Island Co-op gas bar on Bowen Road Saturday (June 29) 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when Vancouver Island Region Porsche Club of America members bring out their cars in support of Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
Tour de Rock team member Const. Misty Dmytar, representing Nanaimo RCMP detachment, former riders and team supporters, plus Porsche club members will be out scrubbing cars and barbecuing hotdogs for cash donations.
“It might even be worthwhile to be the chef instead of washing cars,” said Cpl. Norm Smith, the detachment’s Tour de Rock fundraiser committee chairman, who plans to strap on an apron to barbecue hotdogs donated by Country Grocer for Saturdays’ event.
Oganizers will write up receipts for tax deductions.
Car washes can be lucrative fundraisers. Smith estimates as many as 100 cars could be scrubbed clean during the five-hour event.
“Depending on the weather, you can make up to $1,000 a day from a car wash,” Smith said.
Supporters and car washers alike will get a few tips on how to properly wash cars, too, from Porsche club members who will bring some classic Porsches to the party.
The Porsche club has been a strong Tour de Rock supporter since 2010.
“We figured, hey, these guys are always trying to stop us, so let’s try and stop them, but they wouldn’t stop for us,” said Gary Glover, Vancouver Island region club CEO, of the club’s first attempt to give a Tour de Rock team a donation while it was making it’s way to Ucluelet. “So we arranged to meet them, gave them a cheque and they appreciated it.”
The club, searching for an additional charity to support at the time, decided to continue supporting Cops for Cancer.
The club also supports the Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade.
At a Tour de Rock fundraiser in Ucluelet earlier this year, club members donated more than $10,000 to the ride.
“We’ll wash anybody’s car just for a donation to Cops for Cancer,” Glover said. “And there’s an art to washing cars, so we’ll show people a few tricks.”
One of those tips involves applying soapy water with a paint brush.
The club will bring a tent pavilion, banners, flags and, of course, cars for display.
Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock is an annual 1,100-kilometre ride across Vancouver Island by a team made up of police officers from RCMP and municipal detachments, news media and guest riders. Money raised from the event supports research and programs that battle childhood cancer and provide operating revenue for Camp Goodtimes, a summer camp for child cancer patients and their families.
For more information about Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock or to make an online donation, please visit the Tour de Rock website at www.tourderock.ca.