A Manitoba counselling centre is putting on a one-of-a-kind car cruise event for the whole family to help people in southern Manitoba receive counselling no matter their circumstances. "We are a faith-based charity, offering counselling services to the community," says Chris Derksen, the Executive Director at Pembina Counselling Centre in Morden, Winkler, and Altona. "Because we are a charity, one of our missions is to provide counselling to whoever needs it, regardless of what you believe, or your ability to pay or not." Derksen has been at the centre for the past six years, and before that, he worked for Adult and Teen Challenge in the Pembina Valley. "I worked with a lot of families that were in crisis. The Lord developed a real compassion in me for people who are struggling, especially from circumstances that may not be within their control." .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Last year, Pembina Counselling Centre hosted its first-ever N49 Cruise for Hope. This year's fundraising event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13. "It's a car cruise and car show community event," says Derksen. "We start our cruise in Altona in the afternoon and then we drive along southern Manitoba. We end up at a Ford dealership in Winkler where we'll have food trucks and a car show and shine. After that, we head to Morden and visit the Stardust Drive-In Theatre. This year we're going to watch the movie F1." Anyone interested in participating in the Cruise for Hope will need to register ahead of time. Instead of the driving needing to raise money, the registration is a flat fee of $110, which includes dinner and the movie. The money raised goes directly to help pay for counselling for people who can't afford it through the centre. "Finding the right counsellor is really important. On our website, we have 10 counsellors on staff and we have video bios so you can hear the person speak. When you're in counselling, it's the client that sets the agenda. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and sometimes we need a third party to look at our situation objectively, and say, 'Have you thought about it this way?'"