Drive For Smiles
year
2025
Event
Drive For Smiles
Format
Community event
The Event
A Different Kind of Day
For families navigating serious childhood illness, everyday life can revolve around appointments, treatment and time in hospital. Opportunities to step outside that routine and simply enjoy being together have a value of their own.
Drive For Smiles is an automotive fundraising event benefiting Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada. As part of Starlight’s Great Escapes program, it brings children and their families together for rides in extraordinary cars in a safe, controlled track setting.
In 2025, the Toronto event took place at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga. Drivers, volunteers and supporters came together around a shared purpose: giving families an experience centred on excitement, play and connection.
Why It Matters
Time to Simply Be Together
A day away from appointments and hospital routines gives families time to enjoy something together. Children can be curious, excited and playful, with parents and siblings sharing the experience.
That is the purpose at the heart of Starlight’s Great Escapes program. Drive For Smiles turns a shared enthusiasm for cars into an occasion built around children and families, with connection and enjoyment at its centre.
Moments That Matter
Starlight Canada’s work continues throughout the year, supporting children and families both in hospital and beyond it. Its programs include comfort and activity kits, entertainment during hospital stays, family outings and special wishes.
At the 2025 Toronto event, drivers, volunteers and supporters collectively raised over $217,000 for Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada. This shared effort connected a day of excitement for children and families with support that continues beyond the track.
Houze Media was part of the 2025 Toronto event.
