Around 130 cars descended on Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Saturday evening for a tribute to first responders and front-line workers. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

CLASSIC CARS

Nanaimo streets crowded by classic cars fundraising for COVID-19 research

Apr 18, 2020 | 8:21 PM

NANAIMO — Around 130 cars of all make, model and vintage paraded through Nanaimo on Saturday evening in a show of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.

Cars4COVID drove from south Nanaimo to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital to show their support for front line workers and first responders. The local event joined similar drives happening simultaneously in Courtenay, Victoria and Burnaby.

The tour also served as a fundraising event for COVID-19 research being conducted through UBC and Vancouver General Hospital. Many cars were adorned by Cars4COVID stickers, purchased by donation.

“For Nanaimo, we had 50 stickers that we were selling at $5 per sticker, but there were people who were donating anywhere between $10 to $50 dollars,” Chris Thibert, local organizer told NanaimoNewsNOW. “Overall we received $470 in Nanaimo for the stickers.”

He estimated between $1000 and $2000 would be raised when totals were received from the other tours.

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Thibert said they quickly sold out of stickers and will be printing more in the near future.

He added the next tour, tentatively scheduled for May 2 will take a different route.

“We had a few people suggest going by care and old-age homes. Although our focus is always the hospital, but there’s first responders that are working at care homes, senior complexes so it would be a good idea to pass by there.”

Thibert also said there has been interest from car clubs in Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa in conducting their own tours under the Cars4COVID banner.

For more information on Cars4COVID, along with donation links to UBC VGH COVID-19 research, visit the group on Facebook.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley