Fun Runners donate $7,000 to local community organizations

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Fun Runners Club distributed cheques to True North, the Wheatland County Food Bank, and the Christmas Hamper Society on Nov. 7.

Respectively, the organizations received $3,000, $2,000 and $2,000. These funds were raised through the Fun Runners car show hosted in July. 

“Every year … all the money that we make through that car show, we give it back to different organizations in the community,” said Shan Simpson, president of the Fun Runners. “As a group, we all vote on what the amounts would be. Of course, we look at which organizations are connected to the community (and) we decide from there an amount and we give it to them that way.”

Simpson explained year over year, the car show is steadily growing in popularity, which allows the team to fund growing amounts in their donations back to the local community. 

Donations have grown from giving away between $700 and $900 in a given year, to the $7,000 total given away this year. 

“We are very excited. We are only looking forward to it being bigger and being able to give out to more organizations in our town and area,” said Simpson. “Originally, we were just doing maybe one or two (organizations). We have moved up to three and we are hoping that we can get to five, six or seven. That is what we are looking forward to.”

Simpson was not a part of the club when the idea for donating back to local organizations started, though he described it as a group of guys who were interested in investing back into their local community.

The show takes place annually, taking over Kinsmen Park. Attendees showcasing their vehicles have begun to reach into the hundreds. For the public who are simply interested in seeing unique, vintage and customized vehicles, attendance is free.

“The Town of Strathmore is always a huge help for us to be able to put on our car show, so really we could not do it without them,” said Simpson. “There are also lots of other small business sponsorships that happen and because of them, we are able to not just use our funds that we make from a car show, but because they help supply that, all the money that we bring in, we are able to give it right back out to the community.”

He added this year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Fun Runners Club, and they are hoping to see more buy-in from the local community, as well as from more car clubs from around Alberta coming out to participate in the annual show.