The Jeff Gordon Foundation Announces Initiatives

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 20 2004) - Jeff Gordon and The Jeff Gordon Foundation will host the fourth annual Jeff Gordon Go-Kart Challenge and "An Evening with Jeff Gordon" dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 13 in Charlotte. The go-kart challenge will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the NASCAR SpeedPark at Concord Mills Mall, followed by the 7 p.m. dinner event at The Westin Charlotte. Both benefit The Jeff Gordon Foundation and its designated charity, the Hendrick Marrow Program of The Marrow Foundation. A limited number of sponsorships, ranging from $24 to $25,000, are still available. Corporate sponsor packages include: the once-in-a-lifetime experience of racing against Gordon, a four-time NASCAR champion; a team photo with Gordon commemorating the event; participant gift bags; and recognition in publicity materials. Dinner sponsors will have an opportunity to enjoy dinner with Gordon, bid on live auction items and witness the first-time meeting of a transplant recipient and their donor. For more information about event sponsorships, contact Amanda Hollingsworth, director of programs and events for The Jeff Gordon Foundation, at 704-455-7424 or [email protected]. The Jeff Gordon Foundation: Established in 1999, The Jeff Gordon Foundation is dedicated to helping support the physical, social and intellectual needs of children and their families throughout the United States. By awarding grants to needy and worthy causes, The Jeff Gordon Foundation benefits organizations that reflect the values and concerns of Jeff Gordon. As a public, not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization, the Foundation is devoted to helping those in need. The Foundation's designated charitable partners include The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Marrow Foundation and its Hendrick Marrow Program, and the Riley Hospital for Children. The Hendrick Marrow Program: Rick Hendrick founded the Hendrick Marrow Program in 1997 in partnership with The Marrow Foundation (Washington, D.C.) and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP, Minneapolis, Minn.), to help patients around the country who suffer from life-threatening blood diseases. The 2004 goal of the Hendrick Marrow Program is to raise $1 million to support the work of The Marrow Foundation and the NMDP. The Marrow Foundation was established in 1991, by Admiral E. R. Zumwalt Jr. to raise private support for the work of its partner, the NMDP. Unrelated marrow and blood stem cell transplants are used as treatment for patients with leukemia and more than 70 other potentially fatal blood-related diseases. Every year, more than 30,000 children and adults in the United States are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases for which a marrow or blood stem cell transplant could be a cure.