As a kid, you have dreams of living out your wildest childhood fantasies like becoming a superhero, meeting the characters from your favorite bedtime story, or dancing in the clouds. However for a child diagnosed with cancer, these dreams and even the more traditional ones like driving your first car or graduating high school can seem even farther away. Every day, 250 children lose their life to cancer, and despite having these youthful wishes, the days of those diagnosed are often filled with medical treatments and hospital visits. Even worse, some children never get to the chance to live healthy, long lives—these innocent dreams are all they have for now.
Over the years, CURE Childhood Cancer has gained numerous community supporters to help give these loving children and their families the resources and encouragement they need to remain positive, strong and beat this terrible disease! In particular, Ferrari Maserati of Atlanta hosts an annual event titled “Rides to Remember” to grant children battling cancer at least one wish of riding in an exotic, high-speed car at the Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, GA. The inspiration for the event came from within Ferrari Maserati of Atlanta’s family when the daughter of one of the owners was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and spent several years fighting the disease. The first event, originally called “Dream Ride,” involved around 18 cars and 15 children. June 7, 2014 marked the 9th annual event and involved more than 100 cars, drivers, participants and volunteers. All proceeds benefit three Atlanta charities committed to fighting cancer: CURE Childhood Cancer, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and Camp Sunshine.
A special police-escorted procession of bright, uniquely designed cars started at Perimeter Mall and ended at Ferrari Maserati of Atlanta in Roswell. We like to call this the victory lap of being a cancer survivor, supporting the cancer community as a whole and our hopes for finding a cure in our lifetime!
Once the car parade ended, kids got to vote on which car they deemed the coolest. Awards were also given to the driver who made the largest charitable contribution, and exotic car enthusiasts picked their car of choice. Drivers were also in for a treat at the Drive for Dollars track event following the kids’ race. Kids also received a complimentary photograph of themselves behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Whenever they start to feel down, our hopes are that they will view these pictures, remember the fun they had at Rides to Remember and remember that they must continue to believe!
Anything we can do to ease the burden these children may feel for just one day is much appreciated. Thank you to Ferrari Maserati of Atlanta, Rides to Remember sponsors and volunteers for giving these deserving children the most thrilling ride of a lifetime! Visit www.fmoaridestoremember.org for updates on next year’s event and the ways that you can help.
View a slideshow of pictures from the event here.