SONOMA, Calif. (Nov. 17, 2016) — Fifty-five Sonoma County non-profit organizations will benefit from nearly $375,000 in grants that were recently awarded by the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children's Charities (SCC), the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway.
In total, $374,670 was distributed to youth-serving organizations in Sonoma County, bringing the chapter's total to more than $5.5 million since 2001.The chapter's Board of Trustees recently approved the distribution of 2016 funds at its annual meeting.
The funds were primarily raised through 13 SCC fundraising events in 2016, the majority of which are held during the raceway's major-event weekends, including NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar. Highlights of the year included the Children's Champions NASCAR Grand Marshal's Banquet and the Online NASCAR Charitable Auction, which combined to raise more than $96,000 during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend in June. The 12th annual Classic Sports Racing Group's (CSRG) Charity Challenge generated another $71,952 for the Sonoma chapter and the 10th annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night held the Thursday prior to the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals netted an additional $28,000 for SCC.
SCC is also supported by a number of businesses that have signed up as Children's Champions, including Ahlborn Fence & Steel, Inc., American Asphalt, Bleyco Inc., Blue Star Gas, CSW/Stuber Stroeh, ESP & Alarm Inc., Falck/verihealth Inc., Kaiser Permanente, Monument Security Inc., Pacific Highway Rentals, Pacific Satellite Inc., Pacific Gas & Electric and United Site Services. In addition, Great Clips raised nearly $12,500 in donations at its mobile hair salon in the main paddock during the NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar event weekends.
"The Speedway Children's Charities grant has helped each of our underprivileged youth get tutoring and mentoring," said former National Football League player and Fence at the Top founder, Honor Jackson. "A great example is Omar, a 12 year old who was having a hard time in school and home and through our tutoring program is now a B student and doing much better in school."
Speedway Children's Charities is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for qualified children's organizations. Founded in 1984 by Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., SCC originated at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina and now boasts eight chapters at SMI facilities throughout the country.
The following Sonoma County youth groups will receive funding from Speedway Children's Charities in 2016: ALLIANCE Medical Center, Inc.; Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay; Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County; Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties; Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley; California Parenting Institute; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa; Committee on the Shelterless; Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County; Conservation Corps North Bay; Court Appointed Special Advocates of Sonoma County; DeMeo Teen Club Inc.; Fence at the Top, Inc.; Forget Me Not Children's Services; Girl Scouts of Northern California; Girls on the Run Sonoma County; Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County; Healthy Community Consortium; Hope Counseling Services; Individuals NOW, Inc. Social Advocates for Youth; Jewish Community Free Clinic; La Luz Center; LandPaths; Legal Aid of Sonoma County; LifeWorks of Sonoma County; Loco Bloco; Matrix, a Parent Network and Resource Center; McDowell Drug Task Force; North Bay Children's Center, Inc.; On the Move; Paws As Loving Support Assistance Dogs; Pediatric Dental Initiative of the North Coast; Petaluma People Services Center; Polly Klaas Foundation; Presbyterian Church of the Roses; Redwood Empire Food Bank; Redwood Empire Foster Parent Association; River to Coast Children's Services; Roseland Charter School; Santa Rosa Community Health Centers; Sonoma County Public Library Foundation; Sonoma Ecology Center; Sonoma Valley Education Foundation; Sonoma Valley Education Foundation (Sonoma Valley School Garden Project); Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance; Sonoma Valley Teen Services; Sunny Hills Services; Support our Students; The Ceres Community Project; The Living Room Center, Inc.; The Redwood Empire Conflict Resolution Service; The Salvation Army; Valley of the Moon Children's Home Foundation; Verity; West County Community Services and the Young Women's Christian Association of Sonoma County.
For more information on the Sonoma chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, visit www.Sonoma.SpeedwayCharities.org or contact Cheri Plattner at [email protected] or 707-933-3950.
