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Cruise for the Cure raises record amount for charity

July 23, 2013   ·   0 Comments

By Jeff Doner
Tim and Brenda Schmidt’s third annual Cruise for the Cure went to a whole other level this year, raising an cruise hoodsincredible $95,000 for Prostate Cancer Canada and Shriners Children’s Hospital.
The event saw roughly 1,200 cars of all models, colours, sizes and builds roll through the gates, with thousands of spectators coming by to get a glance.
“My first year I was so green at doing a car show, but I was so amazed that we raised $50,000, so I did something right my first year,” Tim said. “With saying that, this is where it’s going and I’m hoping that it’s going to be one of the largest car events in Ontario.”

cruise dude in car
Colleen Swider, one of the event organizers, is in her second year working with the event and said he is amazed by its growth.
“It’s exponentially growing,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see, because the community of car enthusiasts have really embraced this. Tim has provided an amazing venue and amazing opportunity for this and it’s nice to see so many people come on board.”
However, the event wasn’t just a car show, it also included a children’s mini carnival, a petting zoo with pony rides, food, games, live music from Alan Frew of Glass Tiger, visits from some of the current Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts and also a rare glimpse of Tim’s own car collection.
“Just being one of those car enthusiast kind of guys, I just wanted to do my own car show,” Tim explained. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do and then it came to me after about 10 years after my brother passed away, I decided, ‘let’s do a car show for my brother and my dad and we’ll just have a happy day for the guys that are up there.’”
With literally something for everyone, the event has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception three years ago. First they raised $50,000, then last year it was up to $70,000. This year, Tim said his ultimate goal was to hit the $100,000 plateau.
“If I can get $100,000 – $50,000 for prostate cancer and $50,000 for the Shriners Children’s Hospital, boy I’ll be a happy camper,” he said.
Tim and Brenda also explained why they chose to benefit Prostate Cancer Canada and Shrines Children’s Hospital.
“I chose prostate cancer because one of every seven guys will connect with that disease,” Tim said. “That’s the leading killer for men and a lot of my buddies are men and we’re all car guys, so I figured I would do it for the car guys.”
Added Brenda: “I was a Shriners kid and I am thrilled to be able to give back to the Shriners Children’s Hospital. Today we raised over $40,000 that will go towards the wonderful work they do,” she said.
Tim explained that his wife received multiple operations on her foot when she was younger.
“To this day she still walks perfect, so we thank the Shriners for what they’ve done for her and that’s our way of us giving back to them.”
A big car enthusiast himself, Tim has 25 cars of his own, including the first one he bought as a collector in 1995 – a 1955 Chev.
Tim said he is happy to show off his collection to help a good cause and said it’s the support from the public that keeps the event going strong.
“The reaction I get from people is, ‘thank-you Tim for opening your doors to the public.’ They are just amazed when they come and they want to come back. Through word of mouth, we’re just getting larger and larger,” he said.
“People are loving it and it makes me feel good. To see people smile, it’s just the best thing. We’ve all lost a lot of loved ones and this is one of the reasons why I do this. Get together, cry a little bit and have some fun.”
For more information visit Tim and Brenda’s website at www.timandbrendasplace.com.

         

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