CONCORD, N.C. -- Rick and Linda Hendrick have established the not-for-profit Hendrick Family Foundation, which is rooted in the belief that people working together can transform the lives of those in need and have a meaningful impact on our communities.
The sold out “Learn Live Hope” celebration will represent the new foundation’s first formal fundraising initiative. Scheduled for May 22 at The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina, the annual charity event will benefit Be The Match, Levine Children’s Hospital and Together We Feed Charlotte. In 2015, Learn Live Hope generated more than $1.6 million to support multiple organizations.
“The key to success in any endeavor is people,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. “I learned that from my dad, and it’s helped guide our family and our businesses. We know that people working together can make an incredible difference for our neighbors and for our communities as a whole. It takes all of us.”
The Hendrick Family Foundation will consolidate the philanthropic efforts of the Hendrick organization, including Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group. It will absorb the Hendrick Marrow Program, which Rick Hendrick founded in 1997 and has raised more than $15 million in partnership with Be The Match to support patients in need of life-saving marrow or cord blood transplants. The Hendrick Family Foundation will continue to work with Be The Match.
“Our family has been humbled by the support we’ve received over the years,” said Hendrick, who was diagnosed in 1996 with chronic myelogenous leukemia and has been in remission since 1999. “We have an amazing extended family that continues to inspire us with their generosity and passion for giving back. That passion motivates us every single day, and we’re excited about this next step.”