Christmas time is here and the Charlotte Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) spent Monday afternoon spreading holiday cheer to 64 nonprofits in the Charlotte region, distributing more than $400,000 in grants during a special presentation at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
More than 350 children and adults representing the benefiting charities joined SCC officials in the infield Christmas Village, meeting Santa Claus, playing games and enjoying holiday treats before the grants were presented. The 2014 grants totaled $407,000, enough to assist more than 47,000 Charlotte-area children in educational, financial, social and medical need. Since its inception, the Charlotte Chapter has distributed more than $10 million.
“This is a special time of year for us. We get into Christmas and one of the things that we look forward to every year is having all of the children and charities out here to celebrate the year and to give away some contributions that the folks at Speedway Children’s Charities have been able to raise throughout the year,” said Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Children’s Charities and Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I’m really pleased to say that we were able to give away more than $400,000 to organizations. It wouldn’t even be possible without a lot of help from our board of trustees and all of our volunteers; the groups that are out there every single day, doing the work.”
During 2014, funds were raised through an annual black-tie gala hosted in May, donations from fan assistance golf cart rides during events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, online auctions and more.
The Charlotte Chapter of SCC is one of eight that are located at each of the Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) tracks. In 2014, the eight chapters raised more than $2 million nationally to help children in need. Since its inception in 1982, SCC has awarded more than $43 million to nonprofit organizations across the country.
For more information on SCC or to see how to volunteer or make a donation, visit www.speedwaycharities.org.
About Speedway Children’s Charities
The mission of Speedway Children’s Charities remains true to the ideals it was founded upon in 1982: To care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. SCC provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle they are facing. For more information visit www.speedwaycharities.org.
