Alyssa Anderson wasn’t expecting a fleet of exotic cars, but there they were, eight sleek machines lined up with several police motorcycles along a quiet Langley City street on Sunday morning, July 25, in honour of the 13-year old .
Alyssa, who has Rett syndrome and is nonverbal, seemed a little overwhelmed at the sight at first, but once she was given a closer look, a small smile showed.
It was all the work of the Driven Project, that aims to help bring some magic into the lives of special kids by sending volunteers in sleek supercars to pay a visit.
The initiative was launched in 2018 by Kevin Gordon shortly after he was able to finally buy his dream car, a 900hp bright blue Lamborghini Huracan Performante, and discovered how much he enjoyed taking people for rides.
“This is my baby,” he told Alyssa and her family.
“This is the car that started the whole thing. At one point, it was just me, three years ago, driving this car around, surprising people, giving them rides.”
Back then, seeing how much he enjoyed giving rides, someone suggested to Gordon it would be a cool thing to do for kids coping with various physical and mental health issues.
Gordon calls it “supercar therapy,” and it has grown to include volunteers in other exotic vehicles, as well as the involvement of the Vancouver Police Department, whose motorcycle riders provide escort.
During the visit with Alyssa, she got to see a hulking Nissan GTR do a kind of dance, raising and lowering its suspension from normal height to almost kissing the pavement, peek in the window of a Ferrari, and hear Gordon fire up his car and blip the accelerator, after warning her and the other bystanders to prepare for the noise.
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Alyssa’s mom, Courtney Anderson, dad Trevor Anderson and grandmother Judy Kimberley were delighted.
“I think it’s awesome,” Courtney said, adding the crowd of neighbours and onlookers was a plus for her daughter.
“She’s super social.”
Dad Trevor thanked the organizers saying “we appreciate it. We like what you’re doing for the community.”
Judy arrived with a hand-lettered sign of thanks for the Drive project and the Vancouver Police Department for providing the escort.
“It was so cool,” Judy told the Langley Advance Times.
Neighbour Judi Russell was also a fan.
“Just so thoughtful,” she enthused.
On Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the police-escorted fleet of supercars followed a circular route looping through the lower mainland to give the ride of a lifetime to kids who are battling life-threatening illnesses and what Gordon described as “other heavy life challenges”, while also surprising “other amazing little warriors” like Alyssa.
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Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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