| A Motorcycle Built for Many |
| Story by J.R. Andres |
| Photography by Deborah A. Hepper/J.R. Andres |
SONOMA (April 1, 2009) – The Sonoma (California) Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities has teamed up with the Kasey Kahne Foundation in a fundraising raffle, the proceeds of which will be used to benefit children in need.
The prize? A one of a kind custom built chopper painted in the #9 Budweiser Dodge paint scheme will be awarded to one very fortunate ticket holder during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, held at Infineon Raceway on June 19-21, 2009.
Speedway Children’s Charities was founded in 1982 to assist children in medical, social, financial a
nd educational need and consists of eight individual chapters located at each one of SMI’s (Speedway Motorsports Incorporated) tracks. The benefits of this program have been far reaching for many years and in 2008 alone, $3.4 million was distributed to over 420 organizations throughout the country.
Ms. Denise Silver has been the Sonoma Chapter Director at Infineon Raceway for seven years and she kindly consented to a Q & A session with SMM regarding some of the particulars surrounding this unique raffle and her involvement with Speedway Children’s Charities.
SMM: Can you give us a brief description of your duties as the Director of the Sonoma Chapter?
DS: “I oversee and coordinate the charitable and fundraising events held on site at Infineon Raceway as well as those that take place off site throughout the year. I also review the annual grant proposals that we receive from youth organizations and along with our Board of Trustees, make recommendations for the distribution of funds. We’re proud to say that since 2002, our Sonoma Chapter has granted $3 million, dedicated entirely to programs that assist local youth programs”.
SMM: Who actually built the motorcycle?
DS: “The Sun Oil Company (Sunoco) approached Orange County Choppers with the original concept of building a custom chopper for Kasey. Later on, it was decided that a raffle would be mutually beneficial to the Kasey Kahne Foundation as well as Speedway Children’s Charities and things proceeded from there”.
SMM: How will the proceeds of this raffle be distributed?
DS: “We agreed to divide the proceeds 50/50. Our half will be targeted for youth programs in Sonoma County and the other half will go to the folks at the Kasey Kahne Foundation who are sponsoring a “Ronald McDonald House” project.
SMM: Are there specific organizations in Sonoma County targeted to receive funds from this raffle?
DS: “No, because programs that we fund can vary from year to year, based upon their need. In 2008, we received 100 grant requests and 57 of them were funded. Each proposal is individually reviewed and the decision to fund is based upon where the money can do the most good. Every dollar goes to Sonoma County youth programs and we encourage registered 501 (c) (3) youth organizations to apply."
SMM: What will your chapter do for an encore?
DS: “I can’t say anything now ... you’ll just have to wait and see!”
The drawing will take place at the Wine Country Winner’s Circle at Infineon Raceway (http://www.infineonraceway.com) on Sunday, June 21, 2009. Kasey Kahne will be there to pull the winning ticket and congratulate the lucky race fan.
Tickets are now available for $9 each. For more information on the “Kasey Kahne Custom Chopper Raffle”, please visit Speedway Charities (www.speedwaycharities.org), Kasey Kahne Foundation (www.kaseykahnefoundation.org ), or Iinfineon Raceway (http://www.infineonraceway.com). You can also call 1-800-870-RACE.
NOTE: The photo of Kasey Kahne is provided by the Kasey Kahne Foundation.
Brass in the Grass
