According to the organizers, the idea to hold such an event has been suggested by British royalty. The rally's patron, His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, is leading the motorcade. He will not be able to cover all the distance to St. Petersburg and will have to go off in Khabarovsk, handing over to Lord Nicholas Fairfax, the main mastermind behind this event. Its main idea is to revive and marry Russian and European traditions of charity. The participants will support a number of charity projects and non-profit undertakings in Russia. They have raised almost $700,000 now, and the amount is expected to reach $1 million by the end of the journey.
Speaking at a preview press conference, the organizers said that the funds raised would be distributed among charity projects across Russia. The target projects include the construction in Vladivostok of a clinic for young cancer patients, a conservation program for Amur tigers and leopards, support for a Nizhny Novgorod school for children with impaired hearing, and assistance for children from problem families in St. Petersburg. Some of the money will go to finance surgical operations on at least five children with life-threatening conditions.
A series of charity campaigns will be launched by the rally participants along the way. The funds to be raised through these campaigns will then be given out as social grants.
