Two more charities selected for Johnson's Helmet of Hope

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 9, 2009) -- Loaves & Fishes (Charlotte, N.C.) and CureSearch (Bethesda, Md.) are the two latest charities to be featured on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Helmet of Hope, the race helmet Johnson will wear during the Sprint Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway on Oct. 11. NASCAR Scene’s Bob Pockrass nominated Loaves & Fishes. Believing that all people in our community should be able to meet their basic hunger needs and that we are called to share our resources, Loaves & Fishes' mission is to provide groceries and support to people in crisis. “Loaves & Fishes provides groceries to those in crisis in the Charlotte area and plays a critical role in the community in these economic times,” Pockrass said. “I appreciate the opportunity to help increase awareness of this organization as well as all the others as part of the Helmet of Hope program.” Heidi Milhous of Uniontown, Ohio nominated CureSearch, a National Childhood Cancer Foundation dedicated to raising private funds for childhood cancer research for the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest cooperative cancer research organization. In choosing this organization, Milhous said, “On Nov. 24, 2008, our daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. She is 3 years old. Hannah has endured seven months of intense chemotherapy, all of which was inpatient. Currently, she is in remission and we hope and pray that she stays that way.” The Helmet of Hope initiative allows race fans and media members the opportunity to put the charity of their choice on Johnson's race helmet. Johnson, the defending race winner, will wear the helmet and run a specially painted No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe's Chevrolet during the Oct. 11 race at the Fontana, Calif., racetrack. Fans can nominate their favorite charity by visiting www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org Johnson will draw two charities each race weekend through the New Hampshire event in September, collecting a total of 12 winning organizations. In addition to the recent two, current selected charities include Victory Junction (Randleman, N.C.), Zepp Children’s Foundation (Westminster, Md.), National Multiple Sclerosis Society Mid Atlantic Chapter (Charlotte, N.C.) and KidsPeace (Raleigh, N.C.), Special Operations Warrior Foundation (Tampa) and The Taylor Brooks Foundation (Lawrenceville, Ga.). Each winning charity will receive a $1,048 donation in addition to proceeds from the sale of a Helmet of Hope t-shirt. New to the program this year, the foundation will donate $1,048 to each selected charity and distribute 100 percent of the proceeds from a special Helmet of Hope t-shirt between the organizations. The t-shirt will feature each charity’s logo and can be ordered at www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org