Cruise for a cause car enthusiasts to travel regional WA fundraising for disadvantaged children

Dozens of car enthusiasts eager to make a difference to children will hit regional roads later this month as part of the Variety Creative Car Cruise fundraising road trip.

Besides having fun on the road, participants aim to directly impact the lives of needy young children during the four-day event.

The cruise will take off from York on March 24 and finish at the Old Coast Road Brewery in Myalup on March 27.

The four-day adventure will see classic, sports, muscle, American and modified vehicles visit Katanning, Albany and Manjimup to raise funds for Variety — The Children’s Charity of WA.

One of the Geraldton car lovers taking part is Variety spokeswoman Wendy Norris, who said the charity was important for disadvantaged children in WA regions.

“It has a huge effect on the kids in the Mid West. It’s important for them to have a special environment where they can play as kids,” Mrs Norris said.

Variety CEO Tony Hume said the Creative Car Cruise was fast becoming a favourite fundraiser in its 11th year and he looked forward to ongoing support from the people of WA.

“We are enormously grateful for the support of the community, who embrace our charity road trips every year to help children in need throughout WA,” Mr Hume said.

“Last year, our Variety creative car cruisers raised $160,000 for WA kids, which allows our organisation to provide much-needed support by way of grants, scholarships, education programs and experiences.

“Whether a child is living with sickness, disadvantage or disability, we give kids the opportunities and support they need to join in while at the same time meeting unmet need and providing support where no government or other assistance is available.”

A minimum of $4000 per car needs to be raised, or $3000 for new participating vehicles.

“Each car can do it however they want. I’m using company money to make a large donation. We’ve had a good year, so we’re giving it back to the kids,” Mrs Norris said.

“Our car will be donating over $15,000 for the 2022 car cruise. We are a team of farmers and doctors.”

Mr Hume said the participants were cautious and there was no encouragement to drive irresponsibly or speed during the cruise.

“All of our cars are checked over mechanically before the cruise. We’re all conscious about safety, it’s about helping the kids and getting to schools safely. There is no racing; it’s just a cruisy drive,” Mr Hume said.

Mrs Norris said the more people who heard about Variety and what it did, the better.

“That way if someone knows a person with a disability they can say, ‘Hey, have you heard about Variety?’,” she said.