Start Your Engines!
At Entripy, we love outfitting exciting new charity events in custom apparel. Rally for Kids is no exception. The Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Cup is a unique, exciting event that provides fun and challenging once-in-a-lifetime experiences for participants. The event began in Toronto in 2008 with the Car Rally and later expanded to Boat Rally in Muskoka. Over the past nine years, these two events have raised over $19 million for children’s cancer research treatment and care at SickKids.
Rally for Kids came about as an out of the box idea to raise funds for the SickKids Foundation. While the Foundation hosts many fundraising events, they wanted to host a high-end event that would get celebrities involved to provide extra motivation to participants to fundraise. “People are always looking for another form of motivation and to spend time with a celebrity was an intangible thing,” says Ashleigh Walker, Event Manager at Solutions With Impact, the event management company that runs the event. “You can buy anything, but you can’t buy time with a celebrity,” she says.
In Boat Rally, participants fundraise a minimum of $7,500 each. $15,000 or more gives them the opportunity to draft a celebrity to their team. In Car Rally, teams fundraise a minimum of $15,000 to qualify. $25,000 or more gives them the opportunity to draft a celebrity navigator. Top fundraisers get the first pick of their celebrity teammates. Billy Baldwin and John O’Hurley, Raptors alumni Alvin Williams and NHL alumni Marty McSorley are among the celebrities who have been drafted by teams to participate in the scavenger hunt.
In Amazing Race style, teams race around Muskoka (Boat Rally) or Toronto (Car Rally) and compete in once-in-a-lifetime experiences to earn points. To get full points for every challenge, though, participants need to be wearing their custom apparel – custom t-shirts and custom caps - provided by Entripy.
Once-In-A-Lifetime Experiences
Imagine going to a fire training facility, gearing up in full firefighter apparel and racing across the parking lot to put out a burning car or train. This is just one example of the pit stops provided to participants in the Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Hunt. “The experiences are definitely something you don’t get to do on an average day,” says Walker.
Another pit stop was at a music studio. Teams were given a song and had to learn the song then record it in a recording studio in front of the recording artist, Sarah McLaughlin. “It’s one of those experiences where you go, I’m singing in front of this person, oh my gosh!,” says Walker.
In Boat Rally, teams participated in a “beat the pro” challenge where they faced off against two pro volleyball players. “The longer you stay in the game, the more points you get,” says Walker.
SickKids Ambassadors
Although the celebrity participants provide a motivational draw for participants to fundraise for the event, the true stars at the event are the SickKids ambassadors who participate in the Rally. The Car Rally features a pit stop at SickKids Hospital where participants visit the Sears Cancer Ward and participate in an arts and crafts activity. “It’s really special because fundraisers get a chance to see where their money is going,” says Walker. At Boat Rally, SickKids ambassadors who are healthy enough to travel are invited to Muskoka to participate in challenges with the teams.
How Entripy Helps
Entripy has participated in Car Rally and Boat Rally by providing custom t-shirts and embroidered custom caps for both events. “The t-shirts have made an incredible impact,” says Walker. The custom t-shirts and ball caps for the event not only help to identify the teams, especially since the events attract a great deal of attention from media representatives following the celebrity team members, but they serve as a memento to participants. “Kids love getting the t-shirts because they get the celebrities that come through to sign their t-shirts and then keep them as a souvenir,” says Walker. Plus, the screen printed custom t-shirts look great in photos!
