Hendrick Marrow Program Staff Changes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 25, 2004) – Director Jane Weaver-Sobel today announced changes in staff at the Hendrick Marrow Program, beginning its seventh year in 2004. Courtney Hurd has been promoted to associate director of the Program after two years as administrative assistant. Hurd’s responsibilities will be expanded to include managing the Annual Rick Hendrick Celebrity Golf Classic and assisting with sponsor opportunities with XM Satellite Radio, Family Circle, QVC TV, NASCAR, E-Bay, and Kellogg’s. In addition, Hurd will continue to expand to a national level her “Pit Crews for Kids,” which helps transplant families. “Courtney’s talent and connection to the NASCAR community brings a real advantage to bridging our work in expanding the national Registry for increased matches for marrow transplants, with the energy and generosity of our partners at Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR,” Weaver-Sobel said. “Her husband, Caleb, serves on the pit crew of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 car team and together they work to engage all the members of the five Hendrick teams into the world of philanthropy.” Pamela Heaton has been appointed as administrative assistant of the Hendrick Marrow Program beginning Feb. 1, 2004. Heaton brings organization skills and many fundraising ideas to the team with her experience on the PTA of Cannon School (Concord, N.C.) and as co-chair of the school’s annual auction, which raised more than $300,000 in one night. “Pam has lots of energy and will be a key player as we develop our first grassroots annual campaign for individual contributions,” Weaver-Sobel said. The Hendrick Marrow Program’s goal for 2004 is $1 million, which will be raised from various projects including the 15th Annual Rick Hendrick Celebrity Golf Classic (May 16-17), the Ricky Craven Snowmobile Ride for Charity, the Jeff Gordon Go-Kart Challenge, Pit Crews for Kids, Annual Fund campaigns and a Major Gifts campaign. After Hendrick Motorsports won back-to-back NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships in 1995 and 1996, team owner Rick Hendrick was diagnosed with leukemia. During his treatment and recovery, he became keenly aware of the challenges that other patients and their families endure in their struggle to find a life-saving marrow match as well as the resources to cover uninsured transplant-related expenses. To help these patients, he established the Hendrick Marrow Program in collaboration with The Marrow Foundation and, to date, the Program has raised more than $3.5 million for marrow donor recruitment, patient assistance, and research. In 2003, the Hendrick Marrow Program became an official partner of The Marrow Foundation. The Foundation works to secure resources from the private sector to support the work of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). The Marrow Foundation and the NMDP share the following goals: to increase the diversity of the NMDP’s Registry of unrelated (non-family) marrow and blood stem cell donors; to assist patients with uninsured financial needs; and to sponsor research to improve the understanding and outcome of unrelated marrow and blood stem cell transplantation on a worldwide basis. Located in Washington, D.C., The Marrow Foundation was created in 1991 by Admiral E.R. Zumwalt Jr., an early proponent of a national marrow donor registry.