Cross-country relay makes for 'smart' fundraising campaign

Dianna Shaw, here with her Smart car,
says she can travel long distances in her
vehicle, getting close to 70 miles per gallon.

About 80 Smarties - as Smart car drivers referto themselves -are expected to participatein the cross-country relay to raise money and awareness for the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society. A relay stop is being made tomorrow in Cambridge.Shaw said many people see the size of Smart cars and assume they are electric-powered vehicles, but the little cars run on diesel fuel.

Participants depart Trois-Rivieres today and will arrive late afternoon tomorrow in Cambridge for an overnight stay before heading to Sudbury, Ont

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JEFF HURST, TIMES STAFF, Melissa Hancock, Cambridge - -They are small but mighty and making their way across the country for a charitable cause.

About 10 Smart cars, made by DaimlerChrysler, and their drivers will stop in Cambridge on Wednesday - one of many stops along a cross-country relay to raise money for the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society.

Smarties, as Smart car drivers call themselves, will be pledging money for the society that was formed with a goal to provide financial assistance to the bone marrow registry and make it easier to find compatible donors for patients.

Smart owner Dianna Shaw of Cambridge said the group of drivers has two goals; to raise awareness about bone marrow transplants, and to raise awareness of the benefits of their vehicles.

"It's a major thing," Shaw said of the difficulty to find matching bone marrow types.

The relay began on Aug. 7 in Northwest River, Labrador. Today, participants depart Troi-Rivieres and stop for the night in Ottawa.

The clan of drivers should arrive in Cambridge late afternoon tomorrow and will have a barbecue with regional police officers and camp overnight at the Waterloo Regional Police Association and Recreation Centre. The Smarties' next stop will be in Sudbury, Ont.

As for raising awareness of Smart cars, Shaw said the relay participants want to get the message out that their vehicles are safe and economical.

"They aren't just little cars," she said.

Although small, a Smart car has a tridion safety cell, made from high-tensile steel - the same type of shell as most Indy-car race vehicles.

Shaw uses her Smart for everyday driving and for travel purposes, getting close to 70 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.

For the cross-country relay, Shaw said they have not set a fundraising goal because the main focus is to increase awareness of the bone marrow society.

Of all the causes the Smart group could have picked, Shaw said the bone marrow society suited best because it's a great cause and provides cross-country assistance to those searching for a matching donor.

For more information on the cross-country relay, visit www.clubsmartcar.ca.

For more information about the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society, visit www.dennistonsociety.com.