TORONTO – After many exciting fundraising initiatives on and off the track, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association (OHDA) and Honda Canada Inc. announce that, together with generous racing fans, more than $75,000 was raised for Make-A-Wish Canada. This year’s fundraising activities included OHDA’s Free Friday, Pit Stop Challenges, Paul Tracy’s suit-signing and more.
This is the second year Honda Canada and Paul Tracy have worked together in support of Make-A-Wish Canada.
“We are so thankful to have corporations like Honda support our commitment to give hope to children with life-threatening medical conditions through the granting of magical wishes,” said Jennifer Ritter, Chief Executive Officer, Make-A-Wish Canada. “Events like the Honda Indy, and people like Paul Tracy and the folks at Honda Canada and OHDA, really help us generate the awareness and funds we need to fulfill our mission.”
Visitors to the Honda Indy Toronto and various race week events were invited to offer a donation in exchange for interactive activities that included racing simulators, tire-change challenges and pitching cages. For a donation, racing fans were also invited to sign Paul Tracy’s race suit worn during Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto race. The highlight of the fundraising activities was the OHDA’s second annual “Free Friday” at the track, which invited fans to make a donation and attend Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions.
“For the second straight year, we are thrilled that Free Friday was such a success,” said Brian Tafler, President, Ontario Honda Dealers Association. “We’re proud to cover the costs of admission for race fans on Friday in hopes of receiving donations to Make-a-Wish Canada. They definitely answered the call.”
“Racing is in our DNA at Honda, and so is our belief in the power of dreams,” said Jean-Marc Leclerc, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Honda Canada. “This donation will help make dreams come true for numerous children facing life-threatening challenges and that’s a cause we truly believe in and are proud to stand behind. We’d also like to thank all the generous racing fans for their strong support and enthusiasm throughout another great Honda Indy Toronto.”