Ralcomm’s yearly car show brings out big numbers in support of a great local cause

On Saturday, August 28, under the bright, beautiful sunshine, Ralcomm Ltd staff held an event that took over much of the roadway at their end of 35 Street, up in the industrial area of town, on the backside of Western Budget. For the last five years, the crew has held a car show, and over the previous three years, the show included a fundraiser for the Whitecourt Cancer and Wellness Society.

The cause is very personal for the staff as they lost one of their own, Michelle Kunz, a few years ago. The first summer after her death, they changed up the car show to incorporate the fundraiser in her memory. VP of Operations at Ralcomm, Rand Richards, and her group, the Whitecourt Cancer Fighters, previously held the popular Boob Tour event supporting the society, so choosing them as the benefactor of the fundraiser was a no brainer.

“They are an amazing organization. When a local is diagnosed with cancer, they automatically send over a $500 gift certificate for gas, groceries and other things that the patient might need. It’s not just a little fight, it’s a battle, and people need to pay for things like parking and things they aren’t even thinking about because they are too busy dealing with the treatment. That support gets people off to a great start in a sad situation,” explained Richards.

She said that the Whitecourt Cancer and Wellness Society also goes beyond that. “They will work with people to find lodging in Edmonton when they are doing chemo, or find support groups, or set up rides to the city if you don’t have a way of getting there. They’ve even helped by flying distant family members to Whitecourt so they could help support a loved one while they go through treatment. What they do for people in this community is vast, and it’s very touching and heartwarming.”

Each of the 90 registered vehicles paid $20, and every bit of that goes towards the cancer society. Ralcomm Ltd. Service Manager Branden Lavallee, a passionate car guy, said he was surprised at this year’s numbers. “Last year’s numbers were high, and this year we are a bit under that, but I attribute last year’s numbers to the lockdowns. There were many cancelled events, and we hit a sweet spot in between restrictions. I think that’s why we had such a high number. This year it’s bigger than I thought it would be because there’s a lot of competition for car shows in the summer. I didn’t think we would have this many come,” he explained.

“There are lots of cars here today that are not local to us. We appreciate everyone that came from Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Edson and beyond.” One of those who travelled in for the show was Bruce Eastwood from Edmonton. He rolled in with a beautiful 2003 Corvette convertible with Lambo doors. “I installed them. I love working on cars. I can only do so much on account of my age, but it was a nice drive out here, and I look forward to the nice relaxing drive home.”

Coming in at a young 86, Eastwood said he loves to see people displaying their vehicles. He said with the amount of time and love that goes into them, owners should feel proud to shine up their cars and show them off. “They do a lot of work on their cars, and they spend a lot of money to do it. Some take an old car that you might otherwise scrap, and they rebuild it. When you look around here and see how they turn out, I would say they have every right to show them off,” he smiled.

The car show was Eastwood’s first time in Whitecourt, and he said he plans to return for next year’s show. “It means a lot to me to come out. I love it when people ask me things about the car, like how you did something. My wife is in a home, and she can’t come with me. I feel guilty about that, but she tells me, don’t feel guilty because it’s something you like doing. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep doing it, so that’s why I like to travel around to different shows.” He said that knowing a great cause gets support is icing on the cake.

Lavallee said he has plans to make the event grow even bigger. “We are looking to add other elements to it, including more trophies, since so many people come, and different activities for the kids to do. We didn’t know what would happen this year, so that’s why we didn’t go all out.” This year’s show featured five winners (Best in Show, Best Tuner, Best Pickup, Best Wheels, and Best Classic).

From now until October 8, Ralcomm Ltd. has a big raffle underway to continue supporting the Whitecourt Cancer and Wellness Society. “We have a gaming computer that we built. The tickets are ten dollars each, and 100 percent of that goes to the cancer group. You can come into the store to get tickets, or you can also call in if you don’t live in town,” said Lavallee.