THE NASCAR FOUNDATION AND NASCAR PERSONALITIES TEAM UP TO HELP FAMILIES IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY

Blackmon Road Project One of Five Keystone Events To Help Celebrate NASCAR Day

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 19, 2010) – Representatives from The NASCAR Foundation and several NASCAR celebrities participated in a service project today at A Place for Hope in Rock Hill, S.C. to help celebrate NASCAR Day, The NASCAR Foundation’s annual charitable celebration of the NASCAR spirit.

The project took place at the community center for the Blackmon Road residents. As part of a NASCAR Day project to help usher in a new wash house, SPEED Channel’s Steve Byrnes, Jeff Hammond and Krista Voda were on site alongside ARCA racing series driver Grant Enfinger, NASCAR employees and The NASCAR Foundation representatives to renovate the playground, perform grounds maintenance and deliver laundry baskets full of supplies (laundry detergent, dryer sheets, bath towels, shampoo/conditioner, soap and gift cards) to each family in the community.

“The folks who live at Blackmon Road are proud, and have never asked for a thing,” said Byrnes. “We have been blessed to work in NASCAR for a living, and it is an honor to help these folks.”

Blackmon Road consists of 15 dwellings and approximately 50 individuals and families living in third world conditions. Only 47% of the residents have working septic tanks and 60% have working wells. Through a grant from the John L. Mulvaney Foundation, the community just received a wash house which will provide bathrooms, coin operated showers and washers and dryers.

“The addition of the wash house is key to change in a few significant ways,” said Karen McKernan, executive director at A Place For Hope. “First and foremost, it will meet a basic human need for healthy living as well as from a medical perspective. Additionally, it will build the self-esteem of adults and children alike, hopefully providing a ripple effect to higher employment possibilities and success in school.”

Several local businesses, NASCAR licensees and NASCAR Performance partners helped support the project including The Home Depot, BI-LO Charities, Innova Disc Golf, Southern Shade Tree, Palmetto Landscaping Supplies, Carolina Landscaping Supplies, Go Green Carpet, Compact Power Equipment Centers, Springs Industries, Transplant GPS, K’nex, Total Resources International, 3M, Encon Safety Glasses, Goodyear, Mechanix Wear, Clark Tire, Mobil and Sunoco.

On Saturday, The NASCAR Foundation will host the children from A Place for Hope’s after school program at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The kids will enjoy a special track tour and tickets to watch the race courtesy of Sprint, Inc.

The event is one of five keystone projects hosted by The NASCAR Foundation this week to help celebrate NASCAR Day. NASCAR Day, is an annual charitable celebration of the NASCAR spirit that enables fans and corporate partners to join together to make a difference in the lives of children.
 
The “Big Five” projects include: partnering with Bank of America for a racing-themed educational initiative at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.; renovation and race theme decoration of a portion of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service in Atlanta, Ga,; working with Sprint, Inc. for a playground build at the Kansas City Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City, Mo.; A Place for Hope project outside Charlotte, N.C. and a fundraiser at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. to support Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

For more information please visit the website at WWW.NASCAR.COM/NASCARDay.