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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Checkered flags, brightly colored walls, racing mascots and uplifting photos featuring NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and the late Dale Earnhardt greet patients and their families from the moment they exit the elevator at the Halifax Medical Center‘s beloved Speediatrics Unit.
It‘s all a warm, full-throttle sort of assurance that top-level medicine and hearts full of care surround and support. It‘s evident from the steady year-round stream of racing greats that visit and share pep talks with patients and their families, and it‘s especially evident this month with a special outpouring of gifts — the Speedy Bear Brigade courtesy of The NASCAR Foundation and powered by Kaulig Giving.
Sept. 9 is officially “National Teddy Bear Day” and for The NASCAR Foundation — founded by the late Betty Jane France — the day represents a special opportunity to deliver teddy bears directly to children‘s hospitals across the United States — to extend a year-long message of support and kindness and offer crucial minutes of peace and happiness to these young patients. To gift a smile.
It’s one of the most anticipated giving events each year for The NASCAR Foundation and is full-heartedly supported by many volunteers from the racing industry — including NASCAR drivers and team members — who take the time to deliver these teddy bears in conjunction with employees from NASCAR and its race facilities across the United States. This year, The NASCAR Foundation and Kaulig Giving are joining together to deliver 4,000 NASCAR-themed teddy bears to children in 110 hospitals across North America.
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“I‘ve been in the hospital on lots and lots of deliveries,” said Vice President and Executive Director of The NASCAR Foundation, Nichole Krieger, “and I still remember one woman at Jeff Gordon‘s Children‘s Hospital in Concord, North Carolina. She wrote a note to us and said, ‘Thank you for coming and giving us the bear. Even if it just took us away for 15 minutes, we had a distraction. And having a distraction during our day for something other than being poked and prodded just meant the world.’
“Regardless, if they‘re a NASCAR fan or know any of the drivers that we have come in, that shows just having someone take time out of their day to come and visit, makes their day.”
It‘s a feeling and moment that NASCAR team owner, Kaulig Racing‘s Matt Kaulig understands well — and a large reason why he has supported The NASCAR Foundation and specifically this outreach. His daughter Samantha — now 17 — was in the Akron Children‘s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when she was born. And he has been a part of this teddy bear effort at his hometown Akron now for nearly a decade — or as Kaulig estimates, thousands of teddy bears ago.
“When we found out about it several years ago from The NASCAR Foundation that they were giving teddy bears to kids in hospitals, it‘s just perfect so we immediately started doing it,” he said.
This year, Kaulig Giving and The NASCAR Foundation have generously raised the “bear” bar. Not only are he and his team members actively participating in the event, but Kaulig is also giving $25,000 to the foundation to match donations and encourage people to make a $25 donation to the Speedy Bear project at nascarfoundation.org.
“We‘ve got the University of Akron marching band coming, a parade and we have some of the mascots coming up and we‘re making a really big deal of it for these kids even if they‘re just looking out the window [from the hospital] or for some who are allowed to make their way outside,” Kaulig said.
“The whole thing is to brighten their day. Nobody wants to be in a hospital — none of these kids wants to be in a hospital — so it‘s about anything you can do to brighten their day.”
That spirit and generosity is evident at the Halifax unit and in its attention to detail. From walking in and seeing photos of NASCAR personalities — famous drivers and France family members like the late Betty Jane France and her grandson, current NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy — on the wall smiling with patients.
The hallways feature bright paintings of mascots “Pit Stop Pete, Air Gun Annie and Lou Chief” and the ceilings are thoughtfully filled with checkered flags and uplifting messages for those patients looking upward while transported on gurneys.
The “Pit Stop” room is filled with books, board games and video games to provide a distraction. Even the beds‘ colorful pillowcases are decorated with race cars.
And then there‘s the prominent autograph wall — two huge checkered flags not only signed by the famous race car drivers and personalities that visit but also by the brave patients who recovered there — many whose stays were made just a little more bear-able by the thoughtful teddy bear gifts made possible by so many in the NASCAR community.
This year the Speedy Bear Brigade is also providing $160,000 in grants to children‘s hospitals in NASCAR track markets.
“It just snowballed and now we‘ve done the Speedy Bear Brigade for eight years and we‘re up to 110 hospitals and every year we keep upping our bear order,” said Krieger, who confirmed this year‘s national donation total will be the largest to date. “It‘s all really so remarkable.”
For more information or to donate or get involved, visit The NASCAR Foundation’s website.