Pick your favorite 'Helmet of Hope' charity by Sept. 29

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 8, 2010) – The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is launching a brand new element to its Helmet of Hope program, announcing that one of the 12 charities selected to adorn Johnson's race helmet will receive an additional $20,000. The 12 Helmet of Hope charities that elected to participate each received a $10,000 grant and placement on Johnson's helmet for the Oct. 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway. Each charity will have the opportunity to Hope For More and win the additional funding through an online voting contest. Individuals can vote once per day for their favorite Helmet of Hope charity at www.helmetofhope.org. Voting begins today at 3 p.m. ET and ends Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. ET. The winning charity will be announced on Friday, Oct. 1, 2010 at Kansas Speedway. "We are amazed at the number of nominations we have received for this year's program. There are so many great organizations helping children in need," said Jimmie Johnson, four-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and co-founder of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. "In this economy, we know how important financial support is to these organizations. I would like to thank our friends at Samsung and Lowe's for being such great partners and making this additional grant possible." In its third year, the Helmet of Hope program is a partnership of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Samsung and Lowe's. Fans and media members across the country have the opportunity to nominate their children's charity of choice to be featured on Johnson's helmet for a select race. New this year, selected charities also automatically received a grant of $10,000. This partnership is part of the Samsung Hope for Children program, a corporate giving program that aligns athletes and retail partners to help children learn, live and thrive. Johnson drew one winner from a list of media submissions and one from a list of fan submissions each race weekend for six weeks. Selected charities which are eligible for the additional funding include: Beads of Courage (Tucson, Ariz.), Hunter's Hope Foundation (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Foundation for Faces of Children (Brookline, Mass.), The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (Santa Barbara, Calif.), The Racingawareness.com Foundation in conjunction with the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Care Ring's Nurse Family Partnership program (Charlotte, N.C.), Birthday Blessings (Charlotte, N.C.), Cookies for Kids' Cancer (Califon, N.J.), Becky's House of the YWCA San Diego (San Diego, C.A.), Second Harvest Food Bank Metrolina Kids Café program (Charlotte, N.C), Little Smiles (Wellington, Fla.) and Hendrick Marrow Program's Transplant Grants for Kids (Concord, N.C.).