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Kelowna mother Lori Donovan watched her three sons go up in an orange helicopter just a couple hours after being told about the idea.
Aidan, 15, Patrick, 13, and Ryan, 11, were chosen by August Luxury Motorcars to be picked up in a Bentley, Lamborghini, and Mercedes Benz during their school lunch break, and taken on a helicopter ride.
This was all part of a random act of kindness.
“They were pretty overwhelmed,” said Lori. “We’re very, very grateful,”
The boys went through a tough time in 2013 when their father Daryl died of cancer.
“Their father was their world,” said Lori. “He’s on our minds every day.”
“I know they carry him with them through their actions and their kindness.”
While it’s been hard to move past, Lori said it was amazing to see the smiles on the boy’s face, because they really deserve it.
“They’ve shown remarkable strength and character through a very, very difficult time,”
The boys played rock-paper-scissors to see who would sit in the front of the helicopter. When they hopped off, they were all-smiles.
“It was really cool,” said Patrick.
When they found out they would be going on the adventure, the boys said they were shocked and excited.
Classmates gathered around when the luxury vehicles pulled up to pick them up at school.
“I saw 100 people standing out there, I was really surprised,” said Ryan.
Overall, it ended up being a pretty amazing day.
“I mean, I skipped math,” said Patrick, who smiled when the orange Lamborghini passed.
“That’s my ride,” he pointed out smugly.
Matt August, owner and general manager of August Luxury Motorcars, was the mastermind behind the surprise adventure.
August said he was inspired to take part in National Random Acts of Kindness Day, and decided to use the ‘exotic cars’ they have on hand, to put a smile on someone’s face.
The Central Okanagan Hospice House matched him up with the Donovan family.
“It’s just our way of giving back,” said August. “All that it took was three hours, and we changed three lives.”
The dealership is starting the hashtag #driventochange, and August said they want to see the community reach out to those in need as much as possible.
George Cann, owner and operations manager of Okanagan Mountain Helicopters, donated the use of a helicopter and pilot for a 20 minute ride over the city.
“Anytime we can share flying with someone, it’s a wonderful feeling,” he said.
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