RAL 2019 History and Goals
Since 1990, the New England Region has designed a weekend of events to show our support for families battling childhood cancers. And while enjoying our favorite motorsports activities, we also raise funds for the UMass Children’s Medical Research Center. As a region, we have challenged ourselves to make this our biggest year yet!
In 2017, NER members donated $10,017.
In 2018, NER members donated $9,000.
What can we do for 2019?
The first step is securing donations for our annual raffles held during the weekend of events.
Raffle Donations Needed
Historically, one of biggest fundraising portions for the RAL weekend events is the annual Raffle. SO WE NEED DONATIONS! Please consider how you can support this amazing outreach program by donating items to be raffled off for charity. Consider asking the business your own and work for if they have goods or services to donate. We are also encouraging members to reach out to local businesses in your area to solicit donations.
More than two dozen items were donated last year from members, from small items like tools and racing socks, to larger items such a Patriots pop-up canopies and a Snap-On cooler.
The big ticket item was the Massachusetts SCCA personalized vanity plate donated by the Phil Gott and Joanna Ellis. Craig Swinehart, a long time NER member, emerged with the highest bid to take home the coveted plates, which now reside on his silver Porsche – often seen at NER events this season already.
Possible Donation Ideas include:
- Race car parts and materials: belts and harnesses, cleaning supplies, tools and tool sets, work gloves, tool boxes
- Restaurant gift cards: fast food restaurants, coffee shops (Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks), chain restaurants (Chili’s, Outback, Longhorn)
- Grocery store gift cards: Whole Foods, Stop ‘n Shop, ShopRite
- Kid Toys: Stuffed animals, Hot Wheels, bikes and scooters
- Clothing Items: Rain gear, jackets, hats and gloves
- Gift Baskets: wine and liquor, snacks and sweets, beauty or health products
- Gas cards
- Amusement park tickets: Six Flags, Lake Compounce, Canobie Lake
- Movie tickets: Regal Cinemas, AMC
- Services: spa and massages, oil change
Do you own a vacation rental? Donate a weekend!
Do you have season tickets to a sporting event? Donate a set!
Big or small, whatever you can donate will be used to raise funds to support the fight against childhood cancers. The RAL team is ready to group small donations together into one larger raffle prize, so please do not assume that a small donation will not be useful. Every donation counts!
New for 2019 – Challenge for the Biggest Auction Item
We’ve had some great items donated by members in the past, and this year, we’re upping the stakes. The person who donates the item that receives the highest number of raffle tickets will win $100 cash!
Submit Donations
To submit donations to the raffle, please contact Bryan Rogers or Alex Jackson. The two of them will coordinate all the items for auction at both the Solo and Road Racing/Rally auctions.
The Reason for RAL
As motorsports enthusiasts, we all love the hard-core racing action. But the RAL weekends are special for a different reason. Many of our NER family have and currently are battling cancer. The funds we raised go directly to supporting the UMass Medical Center and provide much needed resources to help those battling childhood cancers. As a region, we are so proud that we can come together to help bring smiles and support to those families. If you haven’t already, check out our visit to UMass last year and get a look at some of the big grins on the children’s faces from our visit. That is why we do this every year.
