Car enthusiasts and their vehicles doing good is the energy we need in 2021.
Gambler 500 Rally enthusiast Brady Chandler shared the inspiring yet practical story earlier last week (Dec. 29,2020) of how he and nine other friends organized a community cleanup in Seaside, Oregon with nothing more than their Gambler vehicles, a tractor, some supplies from local supporters, and a bit of “can do” attitude. Armed with a mission to cleanup four abandoned campsites, the local cleanup crew and their motley crew of Gambler vehicles collected over 600 needles, six tons of trash, and inspired other Gambler 500 members to do the same.
Here’s a screenshot of Chandlers story below since I can’t embed the Facebook post normally along with a handful of photos.
And, if you’re in the Seaside Community and would like to help, click here to join their official cleanup group.
If you didn’t already know, the Gambler 500 is a fairly new low-budget Rally race originating in Oregon in 2014 that sees its participants hit several pre-determined GPS navigational waypoints over a two-day period. As the name suggests, the total cost spent on your rally vehicle should only be around $500, but it’s not strictly enforced.
As you can see in the video below, most participants stay within the spirit of the rule.
As car enthusiasts we often build cars, for our own purposes to show off or drive fast around a track for a certain goal time we have in mind. In this troubling time and with a handful of track events pushed to the wayside, it’s about time we think how we can use our cars for good, a lot like Chandler’s done.
It doesn’t even need to be as organized (although it helps) or as regular as Chandler’s community cleanups. If, for example, you drive by a piece of fairly large garbage, it’s an eyesore, and you can safely pull over and carefully haul it home to chuck in your own garbage, that’s one way we can use our cars for good.
But community cleanups like this are always a good thing. Perhaps in the future when we can all safely gather your car crew can organize a cleanup/BBQ where everyone meets up to collect trash at a popular meetup and then enjoy some lunch afterwards.
One other example I’ve seen where car enthusiasts use their cars for good is birthday drive-by where car enthusiasts gather to drive by some kid’s socially distanced party.
How can we use our cars for good in the community? Comment your suggestions or stories below.
