When first looking at the 48HRS of Tristate drive, you might have a tendency to believe the only things that matters to the participants are their vehicles. From Impreza to Legacy to Outback to Forester to Tribeca, their vehicles generally reflect extensive owner care and innovative personalization. Their owners are intense Subaru loyalists.
But the vehicles’ owners are also people who care – passionately – and that passion has resulted in the event’s record-breaking contribution to the American Cancer Society. Throughout the weekend, we met drivers and passengers who have experienced the devastation of cancer through their friends, families, and themselves. So when organizers announced that the group had cleared $30,000 in donations for 2010, the news was met with whole-hearted applause.
This year’s participants ranged from their late teens through their 60s, so they’ve had a wide range of experience with cancer. When preparing for this weekend, however, they shared a common goal – to raise as much as possible to fight cancer. The top amount collected was in excess of $2,200. Quite a few collected more than $1,000 for the society.
The cause for which the group drove was never far from our mind. That includes our greeting at the Dunham Bay Resort Saturday night – an STI and a WRX 4-door with this message on their windows: “Welcome 48HRS of Tristate. Driving towards a cure!”
A large water bottle toured along with the group; it was used for collecting donations. Every time we stopped, the bottle was visible and became a little fuller. By Saturday night, participants had donated $1,000-plus in just that bottle alone. That’s just one example of how serious everyone was about helping the American Cancer Society.
For more information about the drive and its fundraising success, go to www.48hrs.info.
-- Ric Hawthorne
