CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 2, 2010) – Foundation for Faces of Children (Brookline, Mass.) and The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are the newest additions to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Samsung Helmet of Hope, the race helmet Johnson will wear during the Sprint Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway in October.
Each organization will also receive a grant of $10,000.
Seth Livingstone, reporter for USA Today, nominated Foundation for Faces of Children, an organization that helps children with facial and cranial deformities lead a normal, healthy life.
“The Foundation for Faces of Children is dedicated to improving the lives of children with craniofacial differences, including cleft lip, cleft palate, and other head and facial conditions,” stated Livingstone on his nomination form. “This nomination is in honor of Dr. John Mulliken at Boston Children’s Hospital, who personally helped my family.”
Bill Strong of Santa Barbara, Calif. nominated The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness about and fund research for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic killer of young children.
“Our daughter Gwendolyn was born in October 2007,” explained Strong. “She was perfectly healthy at first, but was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at six-months. SMA is a genetic disease that affects children all over the world and is currently a death sentence with no treatment or cure.”
“As parents, it was impossible to do nothing,” added Strong. “In 2009, we started the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation to raise awareness of SMA and funding to accelerate groundbreaking research towards a cure. Including the foundation logo on Jimmie’s helmet would be incredible in raising much needed awareness of SMA and furthering our cause to end it.”
In its third year, the Samsung Helmet of Hope program is a partnership of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Samsung and Lowe’s. Fans and media members across the country have the opportunity to nominate their children’s charity of choice to be featured on Johnson’s helmet for a select race. New this year, selected charities will also receive a grant of $10,000. This partnership is part of the Samsung Hope for Children program, a corporate giving program that aligns athletes and retail partners to help children learn, live and thrive.
Johnson will draw one winner from a list of media submissions and one from a list of fan submissions each race weekend through the Atlanta event in September. The first two charities selected were Beads of Courage (Tucson, Ariz.) and Hunter’s Hope Foundation (Orchard Park, N.Y.) They join the Feeding America® Kids Café program, which was nominated by Samsung to kick-off this year’s campaign program. The Kids Café program works to address the growing epidemic facing children’s hunger.
Fans and media members may nominate their charity by visiting www.helmetofhope.org.
For more information about the most recently selected charities, visit www.facesofchildren.org and www.GwendolynStrongFoundation.org.
If you are interested in doing a story on Samsung Helmet of Hope or need more information, please contact Tara Gudger at [email protected] or 704-714-4155.