Cruise for Your Cause - April 27, 2013 Vancouver, BC

[thump911]

Cruise for Your Cause
April 27, 2013
-in loving memory of Larry Bowering-
www.cruiseforyourcause.org

Happy New Year everyone!!

It’s that time of year again to start Cruising!! Well, okay, it still might be a little wet and cold out, but at least we can start thinking about Cruising, right? Some of you may remember the posts about this event last year and some of you may not. The event is called Cruise for Your Cause and it is something unique and exciting that was a great success during its inaugural beginning in 2012.

For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Travis, I am 33 years young and I have lived in Metro Vancouver for the past 12 years...and I love anything with wheels! I have been a car buff since I hit the ground running, and haven't looked back since. I have been through almost every motorsport there is from dirt biking to 4x4'ing to hotrodding. I have been regularly involved in autocross for the past 4 1/2 years and anxiously await the start to another action packed season. I also currently have an ongoing project car being a 200hp VW Bug! You will always find me in my garage wrenching on something... if it isn't my own wheels, then on a friends. I appreciate all that is within the automotive world. I can attribute this affection to my beloved dad. He was also a car afficianado who raced open wheel dirt track cars to 1/4 mile Willy's back in the day. Among his pride and joy was a '67 Mailbu SS. He was a stickler for details and always found time to help out a friend who was in need. After many, many years of fighting with numerous health issues, his body finally succumbed to the hardships in April 2011.

Cruise for Your Cause is a memorial cruise throughout the Lower Mainland to personally remember my dad, Larry Bowering. It is also an opportunity as a car community to gather together and provide an avenue to support various causes and charities while remembering those special people around us. This year will mark the second annual event. I know there are many other people out there who have lost someone special or who may be currently struggling with health issues and would like to keep the memory of a loved one alive. I am providing an opportunity for anyone and everyone who may have a special or unique ride to dust off the cobwebs and start off the driving season with a purpose. The Cruise is a chance to make a difference in someone else's life by doing something that we all personally enjoy....driving!!

There is no one organization that can save the world, as much as we all would love for that to happen. We all have a different story and I would like for all of us to share our story. The Cruise is an opportunity for us as a car community to support the needs of those around us by donating to the cause of our choice. That's right...you choose to support your cause. Then bring out your car, truck, bike or anything with a motor and wheels, and go for a cruise to share our stories and remember those special people around us.

Last year’s Cruise was, from my personal experience and from the comments of attendees, a success! We had 32 unique cars show up for the 200km Cruise. We stopped at 6 different locations throughout the Lower Mainland, including the BC Kidney Foundation HQ, the Richmond/Langley Fire Departments and Mission Raceway. The Cruise raised approximately $1000 for various local charities including the BC Kidney Foundation, Brain Tumour Foundation and the BC Cancer Foundation. In 2013 I would like to double those numbers.

But this cannot happen without your support. Here is how you can join:

Save the date for April 27, 2013.
Pick your charity and make a donation.
Register on the Cruise website. It’s FREE, fast and will only be used to keep track of support raised. Also, your confirmation number will be used for the random prize giveaways that will happen during our Pitstops.

Once those 3 steps are completed, all that is left is to come out and Cruise! The route has yet to be determined, but will most certainly be as enjoyable as last year! Join up at any point along the Cruise, come for the BBQ lunch, or stay with us the whole day. I guarantee you will enjoy yourself!

Please visit www.cruiseforyourcause.org for more information. Also, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and email any questions to [email protected] .

Spread the word for this event and thank you for considering joining the Cruise!

[thump911]

Just wanted to write an update for those who haven't joined up on the Facebook page yet...
The list of sponsors continues to grow. Currently there are 5 proud supporters and the hunt continues for more. On the list as we speak:

Nav Canada (donation + some aviation goodies for giveaway items),
StreetShotz Photography (event pictures + giveaways including some sought after automotive wall prints and photo package for your special ride),
Black Star Graphics (providing all registered participants with vinyl graphics/stickers),
Furnitura Interiors (giveaway item),
Twilight Drive-In (giveaway items).

Also, in the first two weeks of open registration, we have already surpassed the $1000 donation mark of last year, big thanks going out to my worksite Nav Canada for donating $500 to the Kidney Foundation. A big thank you to all who have registered already and to all future registrants...I am very excited to see what we can raise in the remaining 3 months leading up to Cruise day!! Spread the word, donate and register!!

[thump911]

I wanted to pass along an update to our sponsor list.

West Coast Auto Group (Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Ford/Lincoln) has joined the Cruise and provided a couple items for prize giveaways, bringing the total sponsor number to 6. Still looking for a few more sponsors so if you know of anyone, please forward them my information.

Also, I wanted to pass along some new promotional material that printed yesterday, Feb 4, in the Maple Ridge - Pitt Meadows Times Newspaper. Thanks to Troy Landreville for taking the time to hear and help promote the Cruise. Read the story here:

http://www.mrtimes.com/health/Pitt+M...243/story.html



Don't forget to register and we'll see you out in April!

[thump911]

An update on our proposed participant and charity list.

With a little over 2 months to go, there is a lot of positive feedback and support in regards to the Cruise. There are 17/27 official vehicle/participant registrations through the Cruise website and currently another 43 unofficial signed up guests through the Facebook world, and as you would expect there is a wide range of cars expected to show. There are multiple Camaros and Trans Ams signed up, as well as some Civics, BMW’s and a sweet Porsche. I expect a few Mustangs to roll in, as well as some rep from the VW, Dodge and Lexus world. The invitation has been opened up and sent to many clubs throughout the Metro Vancouver area with many more cars expected to register and show up before the April 27 Cruise date.

Supported charities up to this point are also quite impressive totalling 7 so far including:

BC Kidney Foundation
BC and AB Cancer Foundations
Ridge Meadows Hospice Society
UNICEF
BC Childrens Hospital
BC Childhood Cancer Parents Association
VOKRA

Don’t forget to register and add your charity to this growing list!!

[thump911]

We have just broke, more like smashed, the $2000 barrier for donations!! The grand total is now at $2200 and growing! I expect some more before Cruise day so this is definitely turning out well for everyone! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!

I just wanted to share a bit of detail on my sponsors…

StreetShotz Photography
Tim Oram is a good friend of mine who is also a genius behind the lense. His work on the camera is second to none and he is able to capture an essence of the automotive world that is difficult to capture…and makes it look easy in the process. Hanging out of a passenger door while capturing that perfect “rolling” shot to a perfectly posed shot of the next greatest trend, Tim can make it happen. I am pleased to announce that he will be providing some of his photos as wallprints to hang in your cave, as well as providing a photoshoot package for your special ride to showcase at your leisure. Please welcome Tim and his StreetShotz photography…

Furnitura Interiors
I have known Ryan Barichello for a few years now and always find him involved in and out of the automotive world. His business, Furnitura Interiors is cutting edge and he takes pride in his customer service, making sure his customers always get the best service possible. Ryan has agreed to donate one of the items from his store to guarantee that you will want to check out the store for more high quality items at the best value. Please welcome Ryan and Furnitura Interiors, and feel free to stop by the showroom for an asssortment of home furnishings located in the heart of North Burnaby.


Black Star Graphics
Sean Wyatt is a new face for me that I’m sure I will be seeing around more in the future. Big into the car scene and getting a strong foothold on the vinyl graphics department, Sean is eager to accept your graphics challenge by providing awesome vinyl reproductions of your custom decal, logo and signage needs in a variety of colors at an excellent price! Custom stickers for all registered Cruise participants will be provided by BSG to unite every participant no matter what is driven! Please welcome Sean and Black Star Graphics

Twilight Drive-In
We all love the movies, admit it! And what is better than watching movies than in your own car, with your friends/spouse/family in the open air on a warm, summer Langley night? Hard to beat, I know. That is why Jay Daulat has agreed to donate a couple Drive-In movie passes for a pair of lucky Cruise participants!! Make some memories at southwestern BC’s only Drive-In movie theatre and come on out for the season opening on Feb 22, 2013 in Langley 260st & Fraser hwy. Please welcome the Twilight DriveIn and find all of the theatre info and movie listings on their website

West Coast Auto Group
Cars. We all love ‘em! You’ll be almost certain to find something that you’re looking for, new or used, at the West Coast Auto Group. West Coast Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Ford/Lincoln and the Detail & Accessory Center are all located in Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge and serve all of the surrounding communites employing over 200 people making it one of the largest employers in the Ridge Meadows area. A couple of awesome golf shirts have been provided by the Group and they welcome anybody to stop on by any of their dealerships in person or online

Nav Canada
Serving a world in motion. That is what you will find as the highlighted moniker of the country’s civil aviation navigation services provider. My employer for over 12 years, I am proud to be a part of a company that provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids to navigation to every airline in the sky. Nav Canada provides a safe, efficient and cutting edge service every time you leave your four wheels on the ground. They have graciously provided a large corporate donation to the BC Kidney Foundation, as well as provided many different items to give away, including a wide variety of shirts, jackets, water bottles, lawn chairs and gift cards. Please welcome Nav Canada as another proud sponsor, and feel free to visit http://www.navcanada.ca for any questions or information about the company and the services they provide.

And I have another sponsor/supporter just added to the list yesterday, now totaling 7.

PDM Racing
Don Nimi has joined on board with a few goodies to giveaway during the Cruise. Currently active in driver training and autocross, Don is sure to get your driving skills up to task!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a link to some pictures from last years event...enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1&l=626f1ef0d5

[thump911]

Well, looks like it's time to update on the Cruise details.

I've had a bunch more sponsors join the team, racking the total up to 11 so far with some amazing giveaways. The registrations and donations continue to roll in as well and we have just passed $2600 in participant donations spanning 8 unique charities, not including all of the wonderful prizes from the sponsors. There's close to 30 cars registered already, with another ~40 unofficial signed up on Facebook...should be a good turnout this year! We can expect to see some Porsches, a Lotus Evora, old/new Camaros and TransAms, Mustangs, Civics, Corvettes, SRT's and maybe a wee little Bug (if paint and tuning runs on schedule! ).

The route is coming together and just have a couple more places to confirm. Mission Raceway has been confirmed again this year...no running on the strip but there will be a superbike event running on the road course so there should be some good viewing from the grandstands while on our Pitstop. I'll be sure to post up any more details as soon as I get more confirmations on the route.

Our new sponsors on the list include:

Hammond Jewelers
Dean and Laurie Davey have gladly provided a Seiko Kinetic watch with a retail pricetag of almost $500. Hammond Jewellers has been serving the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows community for 55 years and welcome anybody to stop on by and have a look at their fantastic selection. Please give them a warm welcome and feel free to stop on by their website or visit them at the retail store located in Maple Ridge.

Flash Auto Detailing
Jonny So and Flash Auto Detailing in Richmond have provided a couple of detailing packages worth almost $200, that will be certain to give that special ride of yours a brand new feeling! Please give them a warm welcome and check out their website or find them on Facebook to experience their excellent service.

UBC Sports Car Club
Please give a warm welcome to the UBC Sports Car Club for joining the team and supporting the Cruise! They have graciously agreed to provide some free autocross events, plus membership to their club for some lucky Cruise participants!! I have raced with this club for almost 5 years and love every second that I am involved during one of their meticulously organized events. This friendly club of avid racers will make you feel right at home, no matter what you drive! Visit their website/forum for more details on upcoming events and the new 2013 schedule that should be out very soon.

Bamboo Cafe
Please welcome the Bamboo Cafe. Owners Masako Arima & Mohsen Tavakolifard have graciously donated a couple $25 gift certificates for food and drink to be used anytime. Gather together with friends and family in the relaxed atmosphere or make it your "second home", just as many patrons have already done since the Cafe opened it's doors in 1996. Stop on by their Vancouver location, across from the Joyce skytrain station, or visit their website to grab your next coffee or home-style comfort food.
Also, a big shout out to Azad Kazuaki for showing interest in the Cruise and wanting to get their family business involved.

And I'm currently in the process of confirming a food vendor for our lunch BBQ. If you have been around to any of the major car shows/events over the last 17 years, you may have already had a sampling of her amazing smokies and homemade garlic sauces...standby for more info on a wicked BBQ menu!!

As always, don't forget to register on the Cruise website to be able to take advantage of all the great prizes from all the sponsors. Sign up today, its FREE!!

See you out in April!

[thump911]

I hope the spring break and Easter holiday has treated everyone well.

I won't bore everyone with a huge long post but get straight to some updates.

The 2nd annual Cruise for Your Cause is shaping up to be another great event!

There are 15 sponsors for the event, including:

Airproof Mechanical
StreetShotz Photography
Nav Canada
Black Star Graphics
Furnitura Interiors
Flash Auto Detailing
West Coast Auto Group
UBC Sports Car Club
Stave Falls Power House
Hammond Jewelers
Waves Coffee House
Vemma Nutrition
Twilight Drive-In
PDM Racing
Bamboo Café

We have almost surpassed $3000 in total donations so far this year, with over 10 different foundations supported...thanks to those of you who have already donated.

Food is being provided in part by Hopcott Meats of Pitt Meadows, and BBQ'd up by a local 4H club.

The route is finalized and will cover ~230kms in total length. The start point will be at the Kidney Foundation HQ in Burnaby, 4940 Canada Way. We will then travel east towards Mission and stop at the Stave Falls Power House. We'll then have some fun in the hills north of Mission and stop at Mission Raceway. A BBQ lunch stop will be at the historic Fort Langley, followed by a scenic stop in White Rock, and then finishing off in Vancouver’s Iona Beach (YVR Airport).

Please register through my website if you are thinking of showing up...I have already seen a few of your names show up and I sincerely appreciate the support. You will use your registration number for any prizes that will be given away. I am also using the "people" numbers for guesstimating how much food to setup for the lunch. And in regards to the food, it will be by a suggested donation only as I wanted to personally thank everyone with some awesome burgers, drinks and snacks.

I will be sending out detailed itineraries to all registered participants in the next couple weeks and if you would like to keep up on any updates or have any questions, feel free to drop me an email and I will do my best to answer any questions you might have. If you are on Facebook as well, track down the Cruise page as I am keeping that as up to date as possible.

Fingers crossed for some awesome weather like we had this past weekend and I hope to see most of you out on the roads in a few weeks. There is already a wide selection of vehicles to show up...35+ registered and 50+ unofficial on FB. Let's see what kind of numbers we can hit this year and join the Cruise!

Thanks for the support.

[thump911]

2 weeks to go!!

I just wanted to pass along an update on all the Cruise numbers to date:

15 sponsors
15 unique charities supported
40 registered cars (+ another ~50 unregistered cars)
62 registered people (+ another unknown number from unregistered cars)
$5,600 total donations raised ($6,600 two year total)
222km route
6 Pitstops
4 1/2 hours seat time

Thank you to everyone who has registered/supported/donated to the Cruise and your respective charities. In the 2nd year of this event running, we have raised over 550% from the inaugural event in 2011...and all thanks to you!! I am sincerely thankful for everyone who will be participating this year to help keep the memory of my dad alive and well. And not only for my family, but you are helping somebody special in your community through your generous donations.

On to some route goodies:

vvvvvv What our route will look like vvvvvvv



Meetup time is 9:00am in Burnaby at the Kidney Foundation HQ 4940 Canada Way. The parking lot being used is found just in behind the main buildings off Ledger ave. Simply, if you are heading either east or west on Canada Way, you will be turning NORTH on Ledger Ave and drive past the buildings... driveway to the parking lot will be on your left. We will be leaving Burnaby at 9:30 SHARP!! Our first and longest leg will take us east through Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and stop at the Stave Falls Powerhouse just before Mission. Once everyone is re-caffienated we will play in the hills north of Mission and stop at the Mission Raceway. A BBQ lunchstop is planned at the National Historic Fort Langley site, after which we will head down through White Rock with a stop at Crecent Beach and then finish off at Iona Beach near the YVR Airport.

Every registered participant will get a detailed itinerary of every stop emailed to them in case you wish to join up along the way. I apologize in advance but I will have to refrain from posting the detailed itinerary online, just to avoid being overwhelmed at the lunchstop. If you wish to know when we will be meeting at other locations, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or send me a PM. Or even better yet, please register on the Cruise website www.cruiseforyourcause.org to receive complete information and be entered into the prize draws that will be occurring at each Pitstop.

A brief rundown of sponsors and prize giveaways:

SS Photography - wall prints and photoshoot package
Flash Auto Detailing - full detail package and wash'n'vac package
West Coast Auto Group - 2 golf shirts
UBCSCC - 2 club memberships and 2 free autox events
Stave Falls PowerHouse - free tour coupons for all registered participants
Hammond Jewelers - $500 watch
Nav Canada - Kidney Foundation donation plus tonnes of goodies
Waves Coffee House - gift basket
Furnitura Interiors - furniture items
Twilight Drive In - 2 free movie passes
PDM Racing - a couple misc goodies
Vemma Nutrition - gift basket
BSG - event stickers/decals
Bamboo Cafe - gift certificate
Airproof Mechanical - event cash donation

Thanks again for everyone who is participating this year. I'm excited to see everyone out on the roads on April 27.

***EVENT DISCLAIMER***
Cruise for Your Cause, Travis Bowering (and family), BC Kidney Foundation,
Stave Falls Power House, Mission Raceway and Fort Langley do not
accept responsibility or liability for any damages or injury to your person,
passengers, vehicle or belongings incurred during the course of the event
held on April 27, 2013. You are expected to have proper vehicle insurance
and a valid driver’s license.
This event is for you, me and the person in the car beside you....simple.
It is a casual, fun get-together where we all can get together, hang out and
do some driving. This event is by no means intended to be a race, time trial,
or burnout contest. There will be no dangerous driving tolerated during the
course of this event. We will all be expected to act responsibly and respect
all drivers on the road during the course of the event. We have a route that
is laid out but we do not own the road. Please respect and obey all roadsigns
and speed limits to the best of your ability. The route has been laid out to
avoid as many left turns as possible and we will all do our best to remain
together as a group. However if someone gets split up from the group,
please use the included itinerary/map to follow to the next Pitstop and join
up again there. Enough time has been left at each Pitstop to meetup in a
reasonable amount of time. Please clean up after yourself at each Pitstop.
Again, common roadsense is the top priority during this event in order to
keep everyone safe and ultimately, you are responsible for your own actions
on the road.

[thump911]

Well, now less than a week to go and it looks like it might be, unfortunately, a little bit on the rainy side. I don't know about you but I'm certainly doing my own versions of a no-rain-dance!
Anyhow, this is just an update to mention that emails have been sent out to all registered participants. You should have a detailed itinerary, event info and route information already provided to you. If you registered on the Cruise website and did not get the emails, please let me know. If you would like to join us at the BC Kidney Foundation starting point, meetup time is 9:00am this coming Sat at 4940 Canada Way Burnaby (parking lot is accessed off of Ledger Ave past the main buildings). We will be leaving the Burnaby location at 9:30am SHARP and making our way eastbound.
With everyones support and generous donations, we are currently sitting at $6,800 raised this year alone, and just shy of $8,000 for the event 2 year total.
19 unique charities are supported during the Cruise. To find a complete list of charities supported, or to find the FREE registration, please visit www.cruiseforyourcause.org for more info.
This coming Thursday, April 25 will mark the 2 year passing of my dad. I'll be Cruising for him...who are you Cruising for?
See you on Saturday.

[thump911]

Finally getting around to posting up and saying "Thanks"!
Saturday's event was a huge success, in lieu of the pouring rain for the first half of the day and the confusion around Mission (btw, emails have been made to voice my displeasure at Mission Raceways). Regardless of a few items out of my control, the day went well.
Here is just a few numbers to recap the day:
$7,950 total donations raised (making the 2 year total just shy of $9,000!!!)
25 unique charities supported
61+ cars to start at the Kidney Foundation HQ in Burnaby
31 cars to finish the day at Iona Beach
~120 burgers (~100 people) for our Fort Langley lunchstop
15 sponsors
30 prize giveaways
countless soaked feet
and 1 memorable day!!
A huge thank you to everyone who attended and supported the Cruise and your accompanying charities. Whatever the dollar amount was donated to your charity of choice, that contribution will make a difference in someones life guaranteed! I enjoyed talking to the people who I managed to meet and hear your stories, and I wished I could have met everyone else but a very sincere thank you for coming out for the 2nd annual event.
Another big thanks to the Cruise sponsors who donated the prizes and cash contributions. There should be a link to the Streetshotz gallery very soon and I will be sure to post that link ASAP. If anyone else has pictures they would like to share from the event, please feel free to tag and share as many as you like! A participant photo gallery has been added to the Cruise website and added onto the Facebook page. Feel free to check them out and email/post any more pictures you wish to have in your collection.
And a special thanks to my sister and bro-in-law (Tamara and Todd Barker) who made the trip out from Alberta to take part in this event for the 2nd year in a row...you guys rocked that Matrix like no other!! ;-) Love you guys!
Enjoy that sunshine this summer and get out and drive those cars!

http://www.cruiseforyourcause.org/gallery

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4000670&type=1