Amid the typical celebrations that are central to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion’s Week from Las Vegas, The NASCAR Foundation offered celebration of a different sort on #GivingTuesday, a worldwide day of giving fueled by the strength of collaboration and the power of social media.
On Giving Tuesday, The NASCAR Foundation launched “Operation Speedy Bear Brigade” across the country. Employee volunteers from NASCAR and various race tracks delivered the foundation’s signature stuffed animal mascot to children in hospitals – or prepared “comfort kits” to deliver to children at a later date.
NASCAR Next drivers, Chase Cabre, Zane Smith, and Riley Herbst visited Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte delivering bears to sick children and sweet messages over the hospital’s radio station which gets broadcasted in every room.
Monster Energy Series champion Martin Truex Jr. – along with this year’s four finalists for the foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide –delivered bears to young patients at Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas.
“Having our champion join our award finalists made an already special day even more special,” said The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger. “These types of visits began with our late founder, Betty Jane France, who wanted to ease the stress that children experience when they’re in the hospital.
“That was only part of her vision, however. She wanted to have The NASCAR Foundation truly involved in enhancing the delivery of medical care to children throughout the country. That led to the establishment of the Speediatrics Children’s Fund in the fall of 2016 that has given our organization a national footprint.”
- That footprint translates to 55,000 children impacted thus far through the fund, in approximately 15 different markets. The NASCAR Foundation’s Speedy Bear Brigade, which made up of 80 volunteers, delivered 575 bears to sick children in 15 hospitals.
Thank you to our employee volunteers from our NASCAR offices in Daytona Beach, Charlotte, Concord, New York, Los Angeles and our partner tracks at Road Atlanta, Sebring Raceway, Homestead- Miami Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Watkins-Glenn International, and Darlington Raceway who were part of our Speedy Bear Brigade on #GivingTuesday.
Click here to see photos of Operation Speedy Bear Brigade on #GivingTuesday.
