Tariq Alsamerraie is an automotive enthusiast who combined his passion for cars and charitable causes in the form of the initiative Charity Drives. Over the last year alone, Tariq has successfully organized three charity drives around Kuwait.
The first, of many others on the way, was the “GT Charity Drive” which took place in November of 2017 to support the Rohingya refugees’ crisis in Myanmar. The second drive in January of this year raised funds to fight famine in Somalia. Last month, Tariq also organized a third charity drive in response to the devastating tsunami that recently hit Indonesia.
He explained that “The charity drives are non-profit, and so all the raised funds go to the cause through an official local charitable organization, Sheikh Abdullah Nouri Charity, which creates a web link for participants to donate funds safely online.”
Attendees and participants were able to share their love for cars and the ability to give back. As well as having a platform to socialize and interact with several automotive enthusiasts in Kuwait, while raising funds for essential causes around the world. Participants vary from 15 to 25 cars, donations can also be made without attending the actual drive.
“In my opinion, the most fun part of the charity drives is seeing all the different cars and the “gearhead” conversations that go on around them. The combination of being charitable and enjoying a hobby is a win-win situation,” said Tariq.
The procedure is simple, once participants have placed their donations online with a screenshot of their confirmed receipts, they will receive information of the detailed program from Tariq with outlines of timing, meeting point, the drive route, and finally the ending point.
“The charity drives take place early in the morning on weekends, usually lasts a couple of hours, and include a complimentary professional photographer that takes photos and videos throughout the event,” said Tariq.
Source: Fawaz Al-Ostath
The drives, so far, have taken place early Friday mornings to avoid any kind of Kuwait’s typical traffic jams. The meeting point is usually set in a spacious parking spot in places like Murooj or Al Bida’a, henceforth the driving route starts from the main highways around Kuwait City with a few detours from the Gulf road towards Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), or circling back to the initial meeting point.
Charity Drives naturally emphasize on the importance of safety guides in their program, including following the lead car, which is driven by Tariq himself. Along with instructions of keeping seat belts fastened at all times, sticking to the route speed limits and rules. Finally, as Tariq stated earlier, there are professional photographers who will be covering and capturing the entirety of the drive, so best to avoid taking photos or videos while driving and instead, enjoy the experience as a whole!
Tariq combines both his passion for automotives and charity, it is a drive that will surely keep moving forward with those who are willing to give back too. “I strongly believe that charitable work can never be enough and has no limits. Therefore, I intend to grow my quest to combine charitable work and automotive passion by organizing more charity drives for various initiatives, locally and internationally,” said Tariq.
For more information about Charity Drives, follow Tariq on Instagram @Porschekwt.
Featured image courtesy of Fawaz Al-Ostath.
