Weekend car rally hopes to raise $200,000 for Foothills Country Hospice Society
It's a chance for many 'gear heads' to show off their vehicles, but also a way of having fun to raise money for a good cause.
Eighty drivers have signed up for the fourth Rally 4 Hospice that's a little different than other rallies, according to organizer and the hospice development and communications officer Stephanie Barnes.
That's because you're not given a map to follow for the entire route.
"You start off at the hospice, we launch all of the cars down our hospice lane and you're given a set of clues," said Barnes. "You have to answer the trivia and follow the clues to get to the next check point, if you're successful then you get another set of clues and so on, so you really have to have a sharp navigator with you."
In its four year history, the event has raised $800,000. Foothills Country Hospice Society's eight bed facility is near Okotoks.
"We have seven hospices in the Calgary zone," said executive director Dawn Elliott. "We are one of them and these are places where people can come to die and it's surprising for people, because they don't realize there's no cost to stay here."
Elliott says the hospice receives 57 per cent of its funding from Alberta Health Services and it's tasked with making up a remaining $1.3 million every year.
The Rally 4 Hospice is its biggest annual fundraising event.
"This is a place of joy and happiness," said Elliott. "It's not doom and gloom and we celebrate everyone who comes through our doors.
"We support our residents, (and) their families," she added. "We celebrate birthdays, we celebrate anniversaries, (and) we've had weddings on site.
"It's a magical, wonderful place."
Sue Archibald knows first-hand about the care offered at the hospice. Her husband Garth Pritchard arrived at the facility in early 2020.
"I was absolutely blown away by the whole environment, the atmosphere is not a hospital," said Archibald. "It's like you're in someone's country home, the professional staff are compassionate."
Garth's stay was only two weeks at the facility.
"When he passed away I knew I wanted to support this place," said Archibald. "When I found out about the rally that was the planets just coming into alignment right then and there."
Archibald says that's because her husband was a bit of a 'gear head' and enjoyed cars. Before he died, he bought his dream car, a Mini Cooper. Archibald entered the Mini in the 2020 rally and invited Garth's friends to join in.
"We had an entourage of 11 cars in here," said Archibald. "I couldn't have a funeral for Garth because of the pandemic, so this is my way of having a celebration of Garth's life with his friends, with his Mini, having a nice time."
Learn more about the Rally 4 Hospice here: www.countryhospice.org
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.