TORONTO, July 11, 2011 /CNW/ - 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."
About the Ontario Honda Dealers Association:
The Ontario Honda Dealers Association, which was founded in 1989, represents 78 Honda dealers located in 62 communities throughout Ontario, which is home to the two Honda of Canada Mfg. assembly plants that produce Civic, Canada's number one selling car, in addition to the Acura MDX, ZDX and CSX. The 78 Honda dealerships in Ontario, which have a proven track record for providing maximum customer satisfaction, employ approximately 3,000 associates.
About Honda Indy Toronto
The Honda Indy Toronto, Ontario's largest annual sporting event, takes place from July 8 to 10 on the streets surrounding Exhibition Place near Lake Ontario and downtown Toronto. With 25 years of Indy car racing history in Toronto, the Honda Indy Toronto is among the most respected motorsports events in North America and features a week-long festival-like atmosphere that includes the fastest racing series on the planet, celebrity athletes, live entertainment and interactive activities. For more information, visit www.HondaIndyToronto.com.
About Make-A-Wish Canada
Make-A-Wish Canada is a dynamic wish-granting organization that brings hope, strength and joy to children across Canada living with life-threatening medical conditions. Along with the national office, seven independent regional chapters grant magical wishes to children in need from coast-to-coast. Make-A-Wish Canada is an affiliate of Make-A-Wish® International, the largest wish-granting organization in the world, making dreams and wishes come true for more than 250,000 children since 1980. To learn more, visit www.makeawish.ca.
About Honda Canada
Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969. Honda Canada has produced more than 5 million cars and trucks since 1986 at its two assembly facilities in Alliston, Ontario, including the popular Civic Coupe, Sedan and Civic Si models. Since the Civic was first launched in 1973, Canadians have bought more than 1.6 million Civics nationally, 930,000 of which are still on the road today. Honda Canada has invested more than $2.6 billion in Canada and each year it sources nearly $1.1 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers. Honda Canada has sold more than 3.4 million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada.
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