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Crusin' for a good cause

Annual fundraiser for MS
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Clockwise: A&W manager Heather Turner

&W’s Cruisin’ for a Cause Day, but the popular local fast food establishment swapped cars for games.

“The big cruise is at the Shelbourne store, I don’t know why they don’t have it here. I have more parking,” said manager Heather Turner.

For the third year in a row, the nation-wide chain has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada to raise money for research.

Aside from donations from sales, the Sooke restaurant set up a bunch of activities outside on the sunny afternoon for the kids, all by donation. There was balloon darts with tickets inside the balloons for prizes like classic root beer and other snacks. There was also bowling, mini golf and even a hula hoop contest.

Each A&W put on their own version of the fundraiser, with many of the 250 locations coast to coast hosting cars shows. Turner said the collective goal was to raise over a million dollars for MS.

“Two thousand and eleven (dollars) is our target, the staff picked it. We’re halfway there with the teen (burger) sales and the sales from this—I think we’ll do it.”

Cruisin’ for a Cause wraps up the big drive for the year, but donation boxes are inside the store all year round. The other big event for the summer was a garage sale held two weeks ago that raised a few hundred dollars. Staff brought in things to sell, and even the construction company next door pitched in.

“They cut down a bunch of trees, they donated all the wood to our garage sale. We sold it all,” she said. “They were just great guys, they were fantastic.”

Turner, who added some of her customers have MS, said she loves helping out for  the cause.

“We’re just trying to make everybody aware that MS is an epic deal.”