FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deb Pollack (t) 805.320.9248
info@drivetowardacure.org
www.drivetowardacure.org
NON-PROFIT DRIVE TOWARD A CURE CONCLUDES FOURTH QUARTER EXCEEDING REGIONAL FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
CarCulture.TV Creates ‘Drive-In Chats’ to Bring Collector Stories to Life for Parkinson’s Disease while Exceeding Monetary Fundraising Efforts
LOS ANGELES – December 3, 2020 – CarCulture.TV, the passionate, content-driven car enthusiasts online platform, took a creative and charitable breath this past Thanksgiving weekend to support non-profit Drive Toward a Cure and its alignment with Rally Across America – and all to raise funds for Parkinson’s Disease.
Instead of taking on a typical driving program to raise local funds, CarCulture.TV formed a ‘Drive-In Chat’ experience to establish ‘Conversations for a Cause’ and brought together car collectors of exceptional vintage vehicles to share their stories and owner experiences while showcasing some beautiful and historically significant cars. The event was the culmination of a four-series regional program for Drive Toward a Cure and was the first non-rally to benefit regional Parkinson’s Centers of Excellence nationwide in areas including Portland, Atlanta, Houston and New York.
Alexander Davidis, CEO of www.dfmedia.productions, the cinematic content creation company behind CarCulture.TV and Jeff Ehoodin, vice president of content at CarCulture.TV, together spearheaded the Northeast effort on behalf of Drive Toward a Cure. Held at a beautiful owners’ home in Darien, CT, many enthusiastic collectors participated in the fundraising effort, which exceeded monetary goals considerably – with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Division of Movement Disorders at Columbia University (NY), a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence. The emotional goal for the day was to channel the positive energy of car-culture toward a worthy cause benefiting those in need, during a weekend of gratitude.
According to Deb Pollack, founder of Drive Toward a Cure, the creativity and relationships formed during the ‘Drive-In Chats’ amplified the Foundation’s mantra of ‘cars and camaraderie’ to a whole new level. “Alexander and Jeff’s vision for the ‘Drive-In Chats’ opened new channels of communication to be shared among enthusiasts who often have an equal amount of love for automobiles as for building community. Not only is the Northeast region a car-community dream come true but bringing owners together to utilize their stories and creative ideas to do good, creates another emotional level. And there are no better story-tellers than www.carculture.tv to bring these stories to life.”
Cars that were stars for the day included:
- 1928 4.5-liter Bentley VDP Tourer
- 1958 Jaguar XK150
- 1958 Porsche 356 A Outlaw
- 1946 Lancia Aprilla
- 1962 Aston Martin DB4
- 1972 DeTomaso Pantera
- 1970 MG MGB
- 1971 Maserati Ghibli Spyder
- 1991 Honda Beat Convertible
Throughout the 3-month initiative, the combined efforts of the four events aligning Drive Toward a Cure and Rally Across America raised nearly $14,000 within local areas for local Parkinson’s Centers that support patient care. Additional programs will continue throughout 2021, with information forthcoming for local areas and events at www.drivetowardacure.org
‘Drive-In Chats’ was sponsored by CarCulture.TV, Hagerty, Maserati, Mothers Polish, AQUAhydrate and DuPont Motoring.
About Drive Toward a Cure:
Drive Toward a Cure raises funds and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease research and patient care. Inspired by the camaraderie found within the automotive culture, the organization’s mission benefits equally from both enthusiast communities and industry professionals. Drive Toward a Cure events harness enthusiasm for cars and driving and turn that power into support for ongoing work to improve the lives of those living with Parkinson’s, as well as the research that will hopefully one day lead to a cure.
Drive Toward a Cure is a 501(c)(3) non-profit supporting beneficiaries including The Michael J. Fox Foundation, The Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center and the Parkinson’s Foundation. For donations, sponsorship and event registration please visit www.drivetowardacure.org.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Affecting nearly one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson’s and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.
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