On 13 November 2016, for the fourth consecutive year, Hamilton man Adam Muir will be hosting his event, “Kawhia Cruise," a 90km classic car cruise from Hamilton to Kawhia, with all proceeds going to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Waikato, the fundraising body for MS in the Waikato Region.
Adam says he has had a positive turnout for the cruise in previous years and hopes to make a real impact 2016.
“MS Waikato receives zero government funding,” says Adam, “so it relies completely on people like me, fundraising in the community.”
Adam has had his fair share of knockbacks, losing his wife in 2014 to brain cancer and being left alone to parent his two young sons, then aged three and five. It was around that time he was diagnosed with MS, a disorder of the central nervous system which causes gradual loss off movement, sensation and bodily functions. There is currently no cure for MS.
Adam raced rally cars for twenty years but since he is no longer able to pursue that, he has turned his interest towards classic and American Muscle cars.
With the Kawhia Cruise, Adam has combined his love of cars with his drive to raise money and awareness for MS.
“I could sit outside a supermarket shaking a bucket,” he says, “or I could do something that’s really fun and that people can enjoy.”
As well as raising money for MS, Adam says he wants the Kawhia Cruise to be a way the community can show their support for MS sufferers, who can feel anxious or depressed after a diagnosis.
“I want people to realise they’re not alone,” says Adam. “I’d also like people with MS to know they can help themselves by surrounding themselves with positive people and trying to improve their environment.”
“I want my kids to see me making a positive difference in the world. At the same time, if I can help raise money for MS research, so that one day they might find a cure, that would be a great legacy to leave.”