‘Cars for a Cure’ rolls in Saturday By Amanda Swan BMW owners and other car enthusiasts will transform the south side of the Liberty Lake Albertsons, 1304 N. Liberty Lake Road, parking lot on Saturday beginning at noon. The Northwest BMW Club and Albertsons will host Cars for a Cure to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Participants will compete in the domestic, Euro and import categories for an entry fee of $10, and the event is free for people who want to take a look at the cars, Liberty Lake Albertsons Operating Manager Nikki Haile said. Judging will take place to determine the best car from each category, and prizes will be handed out to the winners, with competitors eligible for additional prizes throughout the day. "We're hoping it will be big," said Haile, who helped organize the show with her husband James Haile, who runs the Northwest BMW Club. "It's all for a good time and a great cause," he said. The NWBMW Club has around 100 members, active and non-active, spreading from Spokane to Montana and from Portland to Seattle. Although the club's focus is on BMWs and cars in general, James Haile said members are involved for more than just the cars. "It's not the cars themselves but the people who own them," James Haile said. "Sharing a passion for the same thing with other people has opened up my life to many new friends. … When the opportunity came up [to host a car show] through my wife's work, Albertsons, it seemed like a perfect thing to do." Club members have been discussing the event at the Northwest BMW website forum, www.nwbmwforums.com, and several club members have posted comments to confirm their plans to attend and compete in the show. "This is a great cause to help a terrible disease," he said, adding that the club was more than happy to do anything it could to help out children in need. Although the Northwest BMW Club does not have a particular amount of money they would like to raise, James Haile said that any amount would help. Albertsons also hopes for a high level of support from the community. "Every year our company partners with the MDA to raise money," Nikki Haile said. Albertsons has supported the MDA for the past two decades and this year has a nationwide goal of raising more than $100,000. The Liberty Lake Albertsons has a store goal of raising at least $6,000. "We're halfway there already," Nikki Haile said. Through earlier efforts this year, the store has already raised $3,200. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic, hereditary disease that causes progressive muscle weakness. There is no known cure for muscular dystrophy at this time. The money raised for the MDA by Albertsons stores goes to purchasing supplies such as wheelchairs for patients as well as supporting the camps for children with the disease. At the end of the year, Nikki Haile selects the employee who has accumulated the highest amount of donations and takes them with her to one of the camps so they can spend time with the children. "It hits home for a lot of different people," Nikki Haile said. The Liberty Lake Albertsons also held a garage sale in their parking lot on March 7 to bring in additional donations for the MDA. Albertsons employees donated their own goods to be sold, and all proceeds also went to reaching the store's $6,000 goal. If You Go Judging categories will include domestic, Euro and Import and the entry fee for competitors is $10. The event is free for families and residents who want to view the car show. |