Written By: Ashmin Shah
The Dream Cars 4 Kids Upcoming Florida Rally
By: Katherine Andrews
If you haven’t heard about Dream Cars 4 Kids and you own a luxury vehicle, you are certainly missing out. Dream Cars 4 Kids (“DC4K”) is a Florida non-profit charitable organization founded by two hardcore car enthusiasts, with the goal of helping sick children have wishes come true by seeing their favorite dream cars. DC4K organizes rallies and events for luxury car enthusiasts that help raise money for medically fragile children. I sat down with the DC4K founders Jon Springer and Ankush Shah to talk about their awesome statewide rally that is coming up in September.
KA: Jon and Ankush, what made you come up with the vision to create DC4K?
JS: I started the Dream Car Network in 2012 after I was approached by St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN concerning 5-year-old Nathan. Nathan was a strong-willed boy battling the final stages of Leukemia whose last wish was to see a Koenigsegg. I was contacted because I just happened to be in touch with an owner of one. The car just happened to be an ultra-rare Koenigsegg CCXR Special Edition. There are only 2 of these cars worldwide. I coordinated with the owner of the Koenigsegg to arrange a chance for Nathan to see the car and make that wish come true. That experience made me want to do more for other sick children.
AS: I started Cars & Coffee Central Florida over a year ago, held the first Saturday of every month, where luxury car owners bring their cars out to connect with each other. Through this event we can donate monthly to Nemours Children’s Hospital directly benefiting the sick children in need. Jon and I met last year and decided to combine forces and bring our networks together to do something bigger. We wanted to give luxury car owners the chance to bring their supercars to sick children and at the same time help raise money for the kids. As a result, DC4K was born and we have helped put smiles on the faces of numerous children facing challenging medical situations. Our goal is to give them happy memories to get through the tough times ahead or in some cases fulfill their final wishes of seeing specific cars. We have met so many luxury car owners that want to help this cause and make a positive impact on these sick children’s lives, it’s truly amazing.
Photo Credit: Ashmin Shah
KA: Can you tell us about the upcoming DC4K Rally?
AS: The 2018 DC4K Rally is a 4-day, 3-night rally that starts on September 6th in Amelia Island at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort and travels through scenic highways and backroads to Orlando, FL where we will be staying at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes for one night. The next day we rally to the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami for the final night of the rally where we will unveil how much we were able to raise to help the children of St. Jude’s battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases. This is a luxury vacation rally where supercar owners get to network and drive to raise money to help sick children.
JS: We will have plenty of photo ops throughout the trip with professional photographers and videographers. Epic nightlife and VIP access to LIV Miami has been planned into our route as well. The accommodations are all 4 and 5-star hotels with all taxes, fees, and parking included in the current $1600 registration fee.
Photo Credit: Ashmin Shah
KA: How will the DC4K Rally help raise money for sick children?
AS: DC4K is unlike any other rally. We are driving for a cause to raise donations for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Rally drivers get their own fundraising pages through our website to raise money through their personal and professional networks, all of which gets donated directly to St. Jude’s to help children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases. We will also make a stop at a hospital during one of the DC4K Rally days to bring the supercars to sick children. Our sponsors like duPont REGISTRY, Daya’s – Collision Repair Specialist, and Driven Real Estate Team are helping us achieve our fundraising goals as well. We have partnered up with St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Hospital to help us find the kids in need and identify any wishes to see a dream car to create an awesome supercar experience.
KA: How can we be part of the 2018 DC4K Rally to help raise donations for St. Jude?
JS: The website dreamcars4kids.org has a lot of information, along with the route details we will be taking. The link to register is bit.ly/DC4KRally. First you select your room type: King, Double Beds or a Suite and either pay a deposit to hold your spot or pay in full. Next, you will enter your car information and decide on a decal color. That’s it!
AS: You’ll also be able to see the other cars and sponsors participating in the rally. We want help connect the luxury car enthusiasts that share that common goal of wanting to help sick children.
Photo Credit: Ashmin Shah
KA: One final question, what part of the 2018 DC4K Rally are you most looking forward to?
AS: On day 2 of the rally we are going to stop at one of the children’s hospitals, I am looking forward to seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces. A month after my daughter was born, I purchased my Porsche 911. My wife and I believe we should use it for something good where we could give back to others. DC4K is the rally to be a part of to help children and make their wishes come true.
JS: I can’t wait until our last night in Miami when we do the final reveal and present a check with the amount raised from the event to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Join the DC4K Rally today and let’s make a difference together.
dreamcars4kids.org