Racing For Kids® Executive Director Pat Wright, and Event Manager, Debby Wright, began a two day visit to longtime sponsor TranSystems, Inc. Thursday (May 3) with a warm welcome from 45 staffers at the company’s downtown Kansas City headquarters.During a lunchtime program, the two mingled with company associates and executives, thanking them for their longtime support and encouraging then to participate in the company’s annual FunDrive.

 The TranSystems’ FunDrive raises money to support Racing For Kids yearlong program of bringing celebrity racecar drives to visit sick children in Children’s Hospitals in the United States, Canada and several foreign countries. The total raised from TranSystems employee donations will then be match by the company.

Guy Mallozzi, TranSystems Vice President, Marketing, told the gathering that his company’s has raised $175,000 for Racing For Kids in its seven-year involvement with the Detroit based charity. 

He also explained that CEO Brian Larson’s personal commitment to Racing For Kids brought the company and the charity together and provided the entrée to TranSystems’ current IZOD IndyCar Series Racing program with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. 

Tim Rock, Principal Regional Vice President, eagerly encouraged the assembly to participate again in the fundraiser. 

Wright thanked TranSystems for its support and explained that the hospital visits are a very important part in the recovery therapy of each child visited.

 “The doctors tell us their patients get better faster because of our celebrity racer visits by taking their minds off of often difficult treatments and giving them hope about the future,” he said. 

Day Two of the Kansas City visit will feature a TranSystems/Racing For Kids Golf Tournament at the Falcon Ridge Golf Club in Lenexa, KS. The tourney is expected to drawn at least 90 participants and feature a silent auction in post golf activities.

by Robbie Buhl

Eighteen celebrity drivers from the 36th Annual Toyota Pro Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix joined me and representatives from Toyota on Thursday, April 12 at the 21st consecutive Racing For Kids® visit held in conjunction with the Grand Prix. This year we visited children at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach.

Although the hospital lobby was abuzz with excitement as the celebrities began arriving, Rita Goshert, manager of the hospital’s Child Life department, had everything under control and had gone to great lengths to make sure the visit  was well organized and ran smoothly.

Along with the popular Racing For Kids hats, many of the celebrity drivers brought gifts of their own for the kids, which made them beam. Several of the drivers were making repeat visits to the hospital including actors Bill Fichtner and Adrien Brody.  Canadian actor, Kim Coates making his first visit and was terrific with the kids.  Toyota’s national motorsports manager and longtime Racing For Kids supporter, Les Unger was also on hand to make sure no child missed out on getting a hat and autographs.

As we entered the playroom, Adrien Brody noticed a young boy who was hooked up to feeding tubes.  He began a conversation with him and within minutes the little guy was actually running around and kicking a soccer ball with Adrien.  There was great energy between them.  His mother told me that the little boy had undergone a chemo treatment the day before and it was just wonderful for her to see him bounce back like that.  She was all smiles.

Friday was the first on-track practice as the celebrities began qualifying for the race. Kim Coates started the race in the pole position but was overtaken in the ninth turn by comedian Adam Carolla, who went on to win the race.  Country singer LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem before the race, then cheered on her husband Eddie Cibrian, who competed in the race.

Toyota made a $90,000 donation to Miller Children’s Hospital on behalf of Racing For Kids, bringing the total Toyota has donated over the years to more than $2 million.

Adrian Brody and Other Grand Prix Celebrities

Visit Miller Children’s Hospital

by Long Beach Post | Staff Reports |

 
1:15pm | More than a dozen celebrities from the Pro/Celebrity race of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach made a pit stop at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. Actor Adrien Brody of King Kong, Hill Harper of CSI:NY, reality star Brody Jenner, Kim Coates best known for Sons of Anarchy, Mixed Martial Arts fighter Cain Velasquez, comedian Adam Carolla, and Eddie Cibrian from CSI:Miami and his wife country singer LeAnn Rimes Cibrian were among the competitors from the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race who went room to room visiting patients.

Since 1992, the child life program at Miller Children’s has received generous gifts from Toyota Motor Sales USA. Toyota donates money for each Pro/Celebrity driver to the “Racing for Kids® Foundation,” a non-profit fund-raising program that supports Miller Children’s and other children’s hospitals.

“We are honored to have the Grand Prix Celebrity Racers stop by to visit the kids,” says Rita Goshert, manager, Child Life, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. “They bring a tremendous amount of joy to our pediatric patients and their families through this often very overwhelming time.”

On March 29, 2012, Racing for Kids (RFK) was joined by two new drivers during a visit to the Women and Infant Center, Children’s Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.

Katherine Legge,(www.KatherineLegge.com) a native of England, a driver for Dragon Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, and Sebastian Saavedra (www.saavedra.com)  of Bogota, Columbia and member of the Andretti Autosport Team in the Indy Lights and Indy Series, visited with some 50 youngsters, drawing rave reviews from the Institution’s Child Life Specialist Jane Love.

“You know, there are some celebrities who come to visit the kids and they are not comfortable with being around sick kids, and it shows and the kids can sense it,” Love said, giving both drivers high marks for their inaugural RFK visit. “Katherine and Sebastian were so at ease, so nice and sociable; our kids loved the visit and were very comfortable.”

Legge, who has built her racing resume with successful campaigns in the DTM, a European touring car series, plus three victories in the Toyota Atlantic Championship, and Saavedra signed autographs for the Alabama Hospital patients, handed out Racing for Kids hats, coloring books and posed for pictures with the Lotus Racing for Kids show car parked outside the Hospital.

As the youngsters were moved into the hospital to continue their visit, one of the Child Life Staff members motioned to a friendly young man 5-7 years old, Mitchell, who has been at the hospital awaiting a heart transplant.

“This is your day Mitchell,” she said, smiling at the young patient.

“Yes it is and I like it,” he responded from his wheel chair beaming over his autographed RFK cap, coloring book, and hero cards from the drivers.

Mitchell, who will be moving to Seattle, Washington with his mother, also provided real life truth to the saying “it is a small world.”

Mitchell’s Dad, a helicopter pilot in the US Army, is being transferred to Camp Humphries, Military Base in South Korea, the same base that Racing for Kids Media Relations Director Ron Hingst of Detroit, served in 1968-69 also with the Army.

It is a small world, and a good world with nice youngsters like Mitchell, and Drivers Katherine Legge and Sebastian Saavedra.

Kaitlyn Stransky, a precocious 12 years old patient at St. Petersburg’s (FL) All
Children’s Hospital, makes flower top ball point pens in her room for sale with
the proceeds going to The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation, a cause near and
dear to her.

Thursday, the Port Charlotte (FL) native showed her handiwork to IZOD IndyCar star Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was making a Racing For Kids visit to the St. Pete’s facility.
He was amazed at the creativity of her work.

“I really like those,” he effused. ”How much do you sell them for?” “They are
three fifty a piece, two for five dollars and five for ten dollars,” she said. “Good I want
one… no two,” said Hunter-Reay, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a
crisp $100 bill, which he handed Kaitlyn for his purchase. “Oh My God! “ said
the young girl, almost speechless. ”Thank you sooooo much.”

Hunter-Reay’s purchase gave Kaitlyn, a CF patient, a big start towards her goal of raising $5000 from her decorative pen creations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Said one of the All Children’s Hospital attending nurses. ”She is a incredible
young girl. Very industrious; a great patient. And, remarkably she has a great
singing voice.”

“Í can’t think of a better way to spend that money today,” said Hunter-Reay, who drives the #28 DHL Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport, and will compete as one of the
favorites in this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Racing For Kids® sponsors St. Petersburg appearance by Indy driver

What: IZOD IndyCar® Series driver and Racing For Kids representative Ryan Hunter-Reay will

visit patients at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg leading up to the Honda Grand Prix of

St. Petersburg, March 23-25, Hunter-Reay will drive the No.28 DHL/Sun Drop Chevrolet for

Andretti Autosport in Sunday’s race.

Hunter-Reay will visit patients in the hospital and spend time with them at the Racing For Kids

Showcar, in front of the hospital. He will also make bedside visits to hand out Racing For Kids

caps, sign autographs, pose for photos and talk about his passion for racing.

Racing For Kids Executive Director, J. Patrick Wright will accompany Hunter-Reay on the visit.

When: 9:30 a.m., Thursday, March 22, 2012

Where: All Children’s Hospital, 501 Sixth St. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Who: Ryan Hunter-Reay, IZOD IndyCar Series driver

Racing For Kids Executive Director J. Patrick Wright

Background Info: Racing For Kids is a Detroit-based national charity founded in 1989. Racing For Kids uses the increasing popularity of motorsports to focus public awareness and funding on the health care needs of children. Racing For Kids has visited more than 25,000 children in more than

500 children’s hospitals in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia. It

has raised more than $5.5 million for the hospitals visited and other children’s health

institutions. Major sponsors of Racing For Kids include Humana, Inc., TranSystems Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund, Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, and Benson Ford, Jr. Toyota Motorsports and The Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach have made Racing For Kids a major charity of The

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Racing For Kids was also recently named as the official

charity of the Milwaukee IndyFest, taking place in June of this year.

All Children’s Hospital

Children are the sole focus of All Children’s Hospital and its new, million-square-foot St.

Petersburg FL campus devoted to pediatric specialty care. The ten-story All Children’s

Hospital and its adjacent Outpatient Care Center (dedicated in January 2010) replace an

existing 42-year old facility just two blocks away.

All Children’s Hospital is a proud member of Johns Hopkins Medicine. All Children’s is the only

US hospital outside of the Baltimore/Washington D.C. metroplex to achieve that distinction. It

is also the only hospital on Florida’s West Coast totally devoted to children’s care – a leader in

pediatric treatment, education, research and advocacy. As a regional referral center for

children with some of the most challenging medical problems, All Children’s draws patients

from throughout Florida, all 50 states and 36 foreign countries. The mission of this private,

not-for-profit hospital is rooted in its beginnings in 1926 as Florida’s first Crippled Children’s

Hospital for polio victims. All Children’s understands that it’s not enough to treat disease –

that true progress comes from teaching and research to cure disease. All Children’s shares its

pediatric expertise through research & education affiliations with 70 different institutions

including Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of South Florida (USF Health) as well as

Moffitt Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading health care company that

offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate

an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of customers and consumers across the nation with whom the company has relationships.

Humana is one of Tampa Bay’s leading health benefits companies with more than 200,000

commercial and Medicare health plan members; and is one of the bay area’s largest health

care employers with nearly 3,000 associates. For more information, go to www.humana.com.

Ryan Hunter-Reay moved up to the IndyCar level in 2003 and quickly became the first

American Rookie in 20 years to win a race, when he took the checkered flag at Surfers

Paradise, Australia. In 2004, Hunter-Reay earned his second Champ Car victory, from the pole

at the famed Milwaukee Mile.

This year’s field will compete in what has become the world’s longest-running, most prestigious celebrity racing event, and includes the following popular entertainment, media and sports personalities:

*  Jillian Barberie Reynolds- Television personality and co-host of Emmy Award-winning, top rated Fox morning show “Good Day LA” for the past 15 years.

*  Adrien Brody- Best Actor Oscar winner for his role in “The Pianist.” Other film credits include, “King Kong,” “The Village,” “Darjeeling Limited,” “Summer of Sam.” Most recently seen on screen in Woody Allen’s Academy Award-winning “Midnight in Paris” and “Detachment.”

* Kate del Castillo – One of Mexico’s most acclaimed actresses, popular for roles in telenovelas “La Reina del Sur” and “Muchachitas,” as well as the Showtime series “Weeds.” She was named by People en Espanol as one of its “50 most beautiful.”

* Eddie Cibrian – Television and film actor best known for roles in “CSI:
Miami,” “Ugly Betty,” “Vanished,” “Invasion,” “Third Watch,” “Sunset Beach,”
“The Playboy Club” and “Baywatch Nights.” He next appears in the Tyler Perry movie “Good Deeds.”

* Kim Coates-  Film and television actor known for his intense performances in “Sons of Anarchy,” “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Black Hawk Down.” He will be seen on the big screen in the upcoming movies “Goon” and “The Truth.”

* Eileen Davidson -Actress beloved for more than 20 years as Ashley Abbot on “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” She also appeared in “Days of Our Lives” and “Santa Barbara” and has written a series of mystery novels.

* Hill Harper -The acclaimed television, film and stage actor currently stars in the hit crime-procedural “CSI: NY.” He is an author and Harvard grad who has appeared in “For Colored Girls,” “The Handler,” “City of Angels,” “Loving Jezebel” and “The Visit.”

* Brody Jenner -The reality-TV star was a central character in “The Hills” and has appeared in his stepsisters’ show “Kourtney & Kim Take New York.” His Olympic athlete father, Bruce, has driven in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race five times, winning twice.

* Christopher Meloni -The television and film actor is best known for high-profile starring roles on “Law & Order: SVU” and the gritty HBO prison drama “Oz.” He is returning to HBO, as a cast member in the upcoming season of the network’s hit series “True Blood.”

* Scott Porter – Actor best known as injured QB Jason Street in the critically acclaimed series “Friday Night Lights.” After a story arc on “The Good Wife,” he’s now a regular on the CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and will next appear in cineplexes in “The To-Do List.”

* Bill Rancic – Entrepreneur and television personality viewers first met as the winner of the inaugural season of “The Apprentice.” Currently stars in the Style
Network reality series “Giuliana & Bill,” which was recently renewed for a fifth season.

* Cain Velasquez – Former UFC Heavyweight champion, Velasquez has lost only one fight in his professional career. The Mexican-American mixed martial artist has
appeared on the Spanish-language TV networks Telemundo and Univision.

* Rutledge Wood -The host of “Top Gear USA” is also an auto-racing analyst on the Speed Channel.

Pros vying for the title include Scion drift driver Fredric Aasbo; former USAC National Midget champion and 2012 driver of Toyota-powered USAC teams, Bryan Clauson; and Jim Jonsin, Grammy award-winning record producer, “American Idol” mentor and owner of Rebel Rock Racing.

“It’s been astonishing to see how many entertainers and sports personalities have been transformed by the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race–not just by the event itself, but by the fact that it benefits chronically ill children. I have yet to meet a participant who hasn’t been appreciative and sincerely affected by the children’s hospital visit that we organize ahead of race day,” said Les Unger, Toyota’s national motorsports manager. “It’s one of the reasons that this race remains such an immense draw for celebrities and athletes–and for the fans who get to see their favorite stars really having a ball. Honestly, I don’t know who has more fun–the drivers or the spectators.”

Rounding out the field are charity auction winners Doug Fregin, co-founder and former vice president of operations for Research in Motion (RIM), and nightclub owner Jerry Westlund. The final seat on the track, reserved each year for a Southern California Toyota dealer, is being filled by Biff Gordon, general manager of Quality Toyota, in Corona, Calif.

Prior to the race, the celebrity drivers will get on-the-track training to fully prepare for the adventure of race day. In addition to the thrill of the sport, this event benefits children in need. Toyota annually donates $5,000 to Racing for Kids on behalf of each participant and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids–a national nonprofit program benefiting children’s hospitals throughout the
country–was created as a way to connect these children with their favorite
celebrities and race-car drivers. Toyota has donated more than $2 million to the Racing for Kids organization since 1991, on behalf of this race and its participants. The two specific children’s hospitals that benefit from the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race are Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

In addition to Toyota’s contributions, a $15,000 donation will be made in conjunction with the 15th-annual “People Pole Award.” Sponsored by People magazine, the award honors the pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session on Friday, April 13.

Andretti Sports Marketing Wisconsin has named Racing For Kids®  the official charity of the 2012 Milwaukee IndyFest, June 15-16.

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, which has a long-time relationship with Racing For Kids®, will be a beneficiary of funds raised in connection with this year’s initial Milwaukee IndyFest.

The announcement came as part of a Milwaukee press conference to announce Andretti’s Sports Marketing Wisconsin’s promotion of the event, which will have a “family feel to it” Andretti said. Also announced was that tickets for the 2012 Milwaukee IndyFest were officially on sale Thursday.

Headlining at the packed press event, IndyCar team owner and former winning Indy Car driver, Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Sports Marketing, explained: “IndyFest will be a celebration of Milwaukee and Indy Car. The Milwaukee Mile has such a great history, and we want to honor that heritage by building a new tradition of fun. It’s very important that we offer fans tickets prices that are a good value and give the
event a festival atmosphere.”

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and a host of Milwaukee County dignitaries lauded the move by Andretti to resuscitate the Milwaukee Race considered a big disappointment in2011. Said Barrett: “I am grateful that Michel Andretti and his team have stepped up to keep the historic Milwaukee Mile as a premier date on the IndyCar schedule. Milwaukee is a major league city filled with the greatest sporting fans in the world. I encourage our community to rally around Milwaukee IndyFest. Race day will be an
opportunity for our city to shine in front of an international TV audience.”

Wilson helps Shank team win Rolex 24: Dale Coyne Racing’s Justin Wilson
teamed with AJ Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri Jr. and John Pew to win the 50th
anniversary endurance race in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with
Curb/Agajanian. The entry won by 5.198 seconds over the Starworks Motorsport
team anchored by Ryan Dalziel.

Michael Shank Racing’s previous best finish in the event (second place)
came in 2006 with Wilson, Allmendinger, Negri and Mark Patterson co-driving.
Overall, six Daytona Prototype teams with INDYCAR drivers finished in the top
10.

A second Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Daytona Prototype
entry, with Firestone Indy Lights drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Jorge Goncalvez
among the co-drivers, finished third as the only other car on the lead lap
(761) in the twice-around-the-clock race on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn course.

Wilson was competing for the first time since early August when he
suffered fractured vertebrae during a practice incident at the Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course, which forced him to miss the final six IZOD IndyCar Series events.

“We all managed to comprise enough to get by between all four of
us in being comfortable and being able to push the limit every single lap,
because this was a tough race,” said Wilson, who will be returning to Dale
Coyne Racing for the 2012 season that begins March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix
of St. Petersburg.

A day to recuperate and it will be back behind the wheel for Wilson,
who’ll be able to stretch his legs in the new Dallara DW12 chassis at Sebring
International Raceway. A dozen other IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will join him
on the short course, including Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon of the
fourth-place Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car in the Rolex 24.

Shank also will have few hours to revel in his first Rolex 24 victory
in nine attempts before he focuses on wrapping up details of entering the IZOD
IndyCar Series with MSR Indy and likely Paul Tracy as the driver.

“We are so close to being able to run our car at St. Pete and I’m not
giving up,” Shank said before the green flag. “This is about passion
for me and business. First passion, then business. We have a great relationship
with Ford and the Grand Am series and I could make a living here just fine. But
it’s been my dream and my intention since I was 7 years old to get in the
Indianapolis 500, so when there’s opportunity – like I believe there is in
INDYCAR right now – we decided to go for it.

“In a perfect world, I could announce (now) what I’m doing. We’re
going to work as hard as we can to make it happen. The interest has been great
and we have a lot of new fans.”

Tracy, who confirmed he’s working with Shank to finalize a deal, was
among the drivers of the Doran Racing car that finished seventh overall – one
spot behind the 2011-winnnig Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates car
co-driven by Graham Rahal.

“We need to put together an engine program this week and tie up a
couple of other lose ends of some other contractual stuff, and if we can do
that, then we’ll get the car put together and try to get to Sebring to
test,” Tracy said following a twilight stint.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who looked to be out of the endurance race when
sponsorship for a second Starworks Motorsport car fell through five days
earlier, rejoined the team before the initial practice of the weekend and then
qualified ninth.

More last minute was the addition of Marco Andretti, Hunter-Reay’s
teammate at Andretti Autosport, to the driver lineup. Andretti was granted a
late license (he had never driven a Daytona Prototype) and fared well, though
he became dehydrated.

Another Andretti Autosport teammate, James Hinchcliffe, co-drove a
SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 that finished seventh in the GT class and 16th overall.

Media Contact: Amy Konrath, INDYCAR, (317) 331-7437,
akonrath@indycar.com