Surely driving a high-end sports car could put a smile on anyone’s face.
And a number of Canadian owners of exotic cars used their high-end rides to put smiles on the faces of children.
Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada, which works to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families, held its 2026 Drive For Smiles events in Montreal and Calgary earlier this summer.
Two more events this summer
The organization also has such events planned in two more cities.
The Vancouver event will happen Sunday, July 26 at the Mission Raceway Motorsports Circuit in Mission, B.C.
Then, the Toronto event will happen Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ont.
Montreal is where it began
The organization shared photos from the Montreal event, which happened back in June 6.
The Montreal event, now in its 14th year, is also where it all started.
Hundreds of ill children and their families were driven around Circuit Mont-Tremblant in high-end sports cars such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens and Porsches this year thanks to volunteer drivers and their cars.
“The smiles you see are about so much more than a ride in an exotic car,” said Brian Bringolf, CEO of Starlight Canada, in a news release.
“They’re about giving families a chance to put illness aside. Watching a child climb into a dream car, offering comfort to siblings whose lives have also been shaped by illness, and giving parents the simple gift of watching their children smile again reminds us why this event matters. Those moments of joy don’t change a diagnosis, but they can change how a family gets through it.”
Thanks to the volunteer drivers fundraising, plus corporate sponsorships and community support, the 2026 Montreal event raised a record $900,000 for Starlight Canada.
Since 2013, Drive For Smiles has raised more than $5 million for the organization and offered more than 10,000 dream rides for children.
Starlight says the money will help make sure thousands more children can access its hospital outpatient programs that provide provide play, distraction, family experiences and emotional support throughout their medical journey.
More information about Starlight Canada is available online.
Empty Tank 
Leave a comment