How Two Corvettes And The Giving Spirit Resulted in More Than $400,000 For Durham-Area Charity

Photo Credit: Bavi Bas/ GM Canada

In an event taking place ahead of Christmas, General Motors of Canada contributed two fast vehicles for Durham Children’s Aid Foundation supporting Sharon's Kids. Occurring back in October, I would like to call attention to this event as a constant reminder of how, even despite the difficulties and challenges almost everyone has endured in some form or another in 2020, there remained the capacity to recognize a good charitable cause.

Part of an online auction that was held between October 21st and October 28th, a pair of special Chevrolet Corvettes represented a classic end as well as a new beginning for the long-running sports car in Canada. The first vehicle of note is the final seventh generation Corvette assembled for the Canadian market, a 2019 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe featured a 460-horsepower V-8 engine and a Torch Red colour scheme. The second car positioned in the charity auction was the first of the radical eighth generation model. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was not only a first-year version of the iconic American sports car’s shift to a rear mid-engined layout but was also the earliest produced model built for Canada. Powered by a 495-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 engine, the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray placed for auction was finished in Sebring Orange painted (A premium level colour listed as a $1,499 option) and came equipped with the Z51 Performance Package consisting of an electronic limited slip differential, special Brembo brakes as well as a heavy-duty cooling system.

The bidding concluded on a special Corvettes For Kids page on the Chevrolet Canada website, both cars raised a hefty sum for the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray sold for $181,000 while the 2019 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe attracted a slightly higher winning bid of $187,500. Both vehicles sold at the auction included a single-day experience at the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School. An additional $35,000 in online donations accompanied the auction with support arriving from GM Canada, Unifor, active and retired employees of the automaker as well as other community sources.

Left to Right: Maria Soklis, President of Cox Automotive Canada, Vince MacDonald, Lead Auctioneer for Manheim Canada, and Scott Bell President of GM Canada (Photo Credit: Bavi Bas/ GM Canada)

Benefiting vulnerable children and youth through the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation, the auction sale of both Chevrolet Corvette continues a tradition set back in 1968 by a General Motors Oshawa employee Sharon Clark and a charitable initiative Sharon’s Kids. In lieu of a gift exchange between coworkers, Clark and other colleagues selected to provide Christmas gifts and food to a young mother. Sadly, this holiday season’s fundraising was the first to take place without the original driving force. Sharon Clark passed away in April of 2020 after a fight with cancer. “GM Canada and our community have supported Durham Children’s Aid for more than fifty years, and I am so proud that we are honouring Sharon’s legacy to make the holidays a little brighter for children that need it most in the Durham Region.” said GM Canada President Scott Bell.

Despite all the unpredictability, challenges and heartbreak that 2020 brought, the fundraising for the underprivileged shows that spirit of caring remains in full force.

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