Nonprofit takes kids on the ride of their life
High-end sports cars from the Driven Project founded in Vancouver
By Mollie Lair
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CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Fast cars with special riders were revving their engines around Cincinnati.
A Canada-based nonprofit teamed up with Cincinnati partners to give kids a super experience in expensive cars.
“Had a young man with me this morning, Matthew, and he told me more about the car than I ever dreamed of hearing. It’s amazing how much he knows about these high-end sports cars,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac.
Twelve kids with differing mental and physical illnesses buckled up for the ride of their lives.
The “Driven Project” was founded in Vancouver in 2018.
Cincinnati is its first ever U.S. stop and Matthew Walker was one of the first passengers in these fancy cars.
“It’s loud. You get to feel the vibrations, things like that,” he said.
Walker said he has a simulator at home, but it’s nothing like the real thing.
“This is just an amazing project that we can take some young people that are having health challenges and give them a fun day and have a little fun ourselves,” said Issac.
They drove around some Cincinnati staples, but made sure to cruise by Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House to show support for everyone inside.
“This is surreal, right? You combine all these amazing cars with the incredible ids. Amazing jobs done by the Cincinnati PD with other departments. All the signs people made. It doesn’t feel real. It’s the stuff dreams are made of,” said The Driven Project Founder Kevin Gordon.
In fact, a dream come true for Walker.
“It’s not every day you get to ride in Ferrari, Lambo, Porsches, Mercedes. It’s not every day, but it’s nice,” he said.
Despite the rain, it was an exciting day for everyone.
“You look at these kids. You just saw Matthew. To be able to create a day like this for him, one of the best days of his life, that’s the best thing I could ever do with my time on earth,” said Gordon.
The Driven Project heads to California Monday.
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