CONCORD, N.C. – Today is a special day for five lucky non-profit organizations.
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation, started by the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet SS and his wife Chandra in 2006, announced today the winners of the 2015 Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope Grants worth $25,000.
The Helmet of Hope program allows non-profit organizations that support K-12 public education from across the country to be nominated and for a chance to win one of the grants.
The recipients include: 9 Dots (Los Angeles), BackPack Beginnings (Greensboro, North Carolina), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Siouxland (Sioux City, Iowa), Carolina Raptor Center (Charlotte, North Carolina) and The Be Kind People Project (Phoenix, Arizona).
The winners were voted on by the public out of a pool of 10 semi-finalists. There were nearly 2.2 million votes cast.
“It was exciting to see this year’s Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program unfold,” Johnson said. “The semi-finalist charities did an outstanding job of rallying their supporters to secure votes. It was a tough, hard fought competition between 10 very deserving charities. Chani and I are thrilled that the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, in partnership with Blue Bunny, is able to support the great work of the five winners.”
But the winnings do not stop at just a $25,000 grant.
The five recipients will also get to celebrate with a Blue Bunny ice cream party and special recognition on Johnson’s race helmet during the race at Pocono Raceway on June 7.
“Congratulations to the five winners of the 2015 Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope grants,” Mike Wells, president & CEO of Wells Enterprises, Inc., maker of Blue Bunny ice cream, said. “It is an honor to help each of them further the important work they are committed to around education.”
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s mission is to assist children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. To date, the foundation has committed more than $7.7 million to education.