Denny Hamlin Donates To Help Kids

When children enter the big red barn at the Children's Museum of Richmond on Friday, thanks will go to several donors to the new Little Farm exhibit.

Capital grants came from the Robins Foundation ($50,000), the Richard Gwathmey and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust ($25,000), the Marietta McNeill Morgan and Samuel Tate Morgan, Jr. Foundation ($25,000), the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation ($20,000), the Barbara J. Thalhimer & William B. Thalhimer, Jr. Family Fund of The Community Foundation ($5,000) and the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation ($2,000).

Demolition and construction services were donated by Graybeale Construction. The Virginia Farm Bureau's Save Our Food campaign will support the exhibit with a $100,000 sponsorship.
A second exhibit including a life-size fiberglass milkable cow has been provided by and sponsored by the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association Inc. for $15,000.
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NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is helping children in the race for rehabilitation with a $20,000 gift to build a gym at the new Children's Hospital therapy center in Midlothian.

The gift was presented at the main hospital this week as part of a send-off celebration for 14 long-term pediatric patients departing for the unit's annual "Beach Trip."

"Partnering with the Richmond Children's Hospital is a natural fit for us," said Jennifer Reuss, executive director of the Denny Hamlin Foundation. "Denny has always had a place in his heart for children who are disabled or ill, and his hope is to give them the means and the inspiration to win the battles they fight."

The Denny Hamlin Foundation gift will help build the main gym in the South Therapy Center's new location later this year to meet increasing demand for outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy for children in the community.

The day trip to the beach was for children who live at the hospital because of their medical conditions. All 14 use wheelchairs, and many also rely on ventilators and feeding tubes. For some, it was the first time they have been able to enjoy the simple pleasure of going to the beach.
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Four neighborhood revitalization projects in Richmond are $10,000 ahead, thanks to the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate golf tournament.

Proceeds from the tournament were donated to Virginia Local Initiative Support Corp. (LISC), part of the nation's largest nonprofit intermediary in the community development and affordable housing arena.

In Richmond, LISC helps support the Beckstoffer development of up to 75 housing units in Church Hill, the Carrington Gardens/Northridge redevelopment of more than 200 units in Highland Park, the Hippodrome development of 32 units in Jackson Ward and the Six Points rehabilitation of six houses to create units for ex-offenders in Highland Park.

The charity golf tournament was held May 6 at Independence Golf Club. In previous years, the tournament has split the proceeds between two groups, but this year it chose only one, said president David Auman.

Greta Harris, Virginia LISC executive director, saw links between the two groups.
"In many ways we are players in the same market," Harris said. "However, Virginia LISC targets a specific customer: residents of underserved communities who need a leg up."
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An anonymous donor has pledged half of the remaining $40,000 needed to build My Space, a universal design playground, at the James City/Williamsburg Community Center. Other donors must match the $20,000 donation before the end of the year.

Fundraising for the $133,000 playground began last November by members of the Leadership Historic Triangle class of 2009. As of May 26, the project still needed approximately $40,000 in donations before ground could be broken on the 5,100-square-foot playground.

Visit http://www.myplaceplayground.camp9.org for details.

A supernova of racing talent will again descend upon the Field of Dreams that is Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on June 4 when the dirt that made champions out of A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti hosts today's racing stars at the fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream.

For those not lucky enough to grab a seat for the dirt late-model race featuring more than 25 world renowned drivers as they battle for dirt supremacy, HBO Pay-Per-View will present the event live to the entire nation. Proceeds from this telecast will support construction of Victory Junction Gang Camp II in Kansas City, as well as the Tony Stewart Foundation external link.

The list of drivers reads like a who's-who of NASCAR's elite. Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, defending race winner Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, JJ Yeley, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, Aric Almirola, Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace, former driver Red Farmer, Gillette Evernham Motorsports co-owner Ray Evernham and NHRA drivers Ron Capps and Cruz Pedragon are all scheduled to compete in the charity event. All will pilot 2,300-pound dirt late-model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower.

For those who want to see the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream in person, tickets are available online at www.eldoraspeedway.com or by calling the track office at (937)-338-3815. But act fast - the race has sold out in each of it's three previous years.

For those not lucky enough to grab a seat for the dirt late-model race featuring more than 25 world renowned drivers as they battle for dirt supremacy, HBO Pay-Per-View will present theevent live to the entire nation.The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. ET with an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week and the following weekend. HBO Pay-Per-View's racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at www.hbo.com.

"The Prelude is a fun, but unbelievably competitive race," said Stewart, a multi-time racing champion and proud owner of Eldora Speedway. "Last year's race was probably the best yet as Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon for the win."Eldora has always tried to go above and beyond for its fans, and last year with the addition of HBO Pay-Per-View, people across the country got to see what racing at Eldora is all about. HBO Pay-Per-View is back this year, and thanks to our partners at Old Spice, we're ready to top the $800,000 we raised last year."Corporate involvement, along with the commitment of the best racecar drivers in the world, has allowed us to create an event that is as exciting as it is charitable. Experience is everything when it comes to dirt-track racing, and there won't be a better way to spend a Wednesday night in June."

"Old Spice has been a proud sponsor of Tony Stewart since 1999, helping him look and smell good both on and off the track, even after his car hits the dirt at Eldora," said Carl Stealey, associate marketing director for Old Spice. "Sponsoring the Prelude to the Dream is a natural fit for the brand, and we're thrilled to help such a good cause."Drivers from all types of disciplines, some with lots of dirt-track experience and others with hardly any, will participate in hot laps, qualifying, heat races and the 30-lap feature on the half-mile clay oval, all of which will be televised live."2007 was our debut for this prestigious event," said Tammy Ross, vice president, HBO Pay-Per-View & Sports. "We are thrilled to once again distribute this event live, without commercials, on pay-per-view so fans can see the top drivers in the world compete on dirt at Eldora to benefit a worthy cause."With no points and no pressure, the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream is a throwback race, allowing drivers to step back in time and compete for the reasons they all went racing in the first place -- pride and a trophy. And they'll do it on the same surface that racing legends Foyt and Andretti competed on nearly 50 years ago.

Other interesting storylines include:

• Johnson's return to dirt: Johnson is very familiar with racing on dirt, just not on clay and not while going in circles. Johnson's racing pedigree began with motorcycles and off-road trucks before transitioning to stock cars in 1998.

• Dirt veterans vs. dirt neophytes: Stewart, Gordon, Kahne, Newman, Blaney, Bowyer, Elliott, Farmer, Yeley, Schrader and Wallace grew up on dirt tracks, while Burton, Busch, Harvick, Almirola, Hamlin and Martin spent the majority of their racing upbringing on asphalt.

• What happens when a drag racer has to turn the steering wheel?: Capps is a 12-year veteran of the NHRA and Pedregon is a 14-year NHRA driver, where straight-line runs or more than 300 mph are commonplace. They'll have to turn right to go left as they sling their dirt late models around Eldora.

"Tony Stewart's support has been huge for Victory Junction," said Kyle Petty, who together with wife, Pattie, founded the Victory Junction Gang Campexternal link in memory of their late son Adam. "Tony was one of the first drivers to get on board with us, and beyond the money he and his foundation has donated to the camp, he's brought notoriety, which has helped fuel interest in the camp. Now, there's so much interest that four years after opening the camp in Randleman, N.C., we need to open a second camp."The Victory Junction Gang Camp II in Kansas City will allow us to serve more kids, but also allow more kids from the West Coast and the middle of the country to enjoy camp. If a family is in California or Nevada or Washington, the costs to get them to North Carolina are almost double. By having a second Victory Junction Gang Camp in Kansas City, we'll be able to bring what we've built in North Carolina a little closer to kids in the rest of the country."What last year's Prelude did for the camp was unbelievable.

It was an incredibly cool event that raised a lot of money. Tony Stewart has always been a big supporter of the camp, and the event that he's created with the Prelude and its broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View has become one of the camp's biggest contributors. And as we get ready to break ground on Victory Junction Gang Camp II in Kansas City, the Prelude's impact on our overall goal at Victory Junction -- enriching the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses -- is even greater."Kansas City-based Sprint, a key partner to the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream since the event's inception in 2005, also has been a long-standing supporter of Victory Junction Gang Camp and its initiatives.

Denny Hamlin Foundation Plans Race to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Denny Hamlin 175 at Southside Speedway to launch Denny Hamlin Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis
On May 1st, 2008 Southside Speedway will welcome home Sprint Cup driver of the #11 FedEx Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Chesterfield native Denny Hamlin. In creating the Denny Hamlin 175, Hamlin will not only be returning to the .333 mile track where he started his stock car racing career, he will launch something near to his heart…the Denny Hamlin Foundation. Hamlin will bring along some of his friends to compete against Southside Speedway’s elite group of racers, including NASCAR prodigy Joey Logano and two-time Southside Speedway Champion Curtis Markham in a 175 lap late model show down.This all-star race marks the first fundraiser for the Denny Hamlin Foundation, a newly created charity Hamlin formed to aid in raising awareness and funding for Cystic Fibrosis causes and other 501(c)(3) not for profit corporations. Cystic Fibrosis awareness is extremely dear to Denny and his family as his cousin suffers from the disease.Tickets, to what is expected to be a sold out show, go on sale April 18, 2008 at 3pm at the front ticket office at Southside Speedway. Adult tickets are $20 each and tickets for children 7-12 years old are $10, children 6 and under are free. If available, race day ticket sales will begin at 3:00 PM on May 1. For more information on the track and the race, please log on to www.southside-speedway.com. All sales are cash only and there will be no refunds. In the event that the races are cancelled due to weather or any other unforeseen circumstances, tickets will be good for any 2008 racing event at the speedway. Scheduled drivers are subject to change.The Denny Hamlin Foundation was created to support individuals suffering from Cystic Fibrosis. The Foundation will also support chronically ill children with other debilitating illnesses. Because of Denny Hamlin’s involvement as a racecar driver in NASCAR, DHF will focus primarily on raising awareness and funding for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As such, DHF will partner with organizations whose purpose is to research treatment and to provide care for individuals with Cystic Fibrosis. For media inquires about the event or DHF questions, please contact Jennifer Reuss at dhracingweb@yahoo.com or call 804-399-6687