Power of WE: Blog Action Day 2012

Today is Blog Action Day 2012.

If you’re not familiar, Blog Action Day brings together bloggers from different countries, interests and languages to blog about one important global topic on the same day.   The project began in 2007.   Past topics have included environment, water, climate change, poverty and food with thousands of blogs, big and small, taking part.

I hadn’t participated since back in 2007, with a post  about Greener Racing for their environmental topic.   This year, I’m happy to join back in on the 2012 campaign, the Power of WE.

The ‘Power of We’ in Racing

The Power of We is a celebration of people working together to make a positive difference in the world, either for their own communities or for people they will never meet half way around he world.

Over the years, I’ve found that the racing community as a whole has a very strong We network.   There is an abundance of teams that utilize their racing platforms to benefit many different causes.    Because racing is fairly unique and exciting for the mainstream population, its easy to share that excitement and leverage to help important charity organizations get their messages out.

Racing Charities/ Racers supporting Charity Orgs

Doug Herbert/B.R.A.K.E.S. :   Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe.  That’s the message that NHRA Top Fuel pilot, Doug Herbert is sending with BRAKES, the charity organization he started after losing his two teenage sons in a tragic car accident.   Their mission is to prevent injuries and save lives by training and educating teenage drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving.

DRAW (Drag Racing Association of Women):  The DRAW organization was born out of the successful fundraising efforts to aid Top Fuel driver Shirley Muldowney cope with medical expenses after an accident in 1984.   The DRAW organization  is a non-profit organization that provides financial and emotional support to qualified individuals involved in drag racing accidents at a track. From 1985 through 2011, DRAW provided a total of $3,943,442 in financial assistance to 760 racing families. In 2011, financial assistance totaled $189,000.

Darrell Gwynn Foundation:   Its the tragic reality that comes with the risks of racing.  Top Fuel driver Darrell Gwynn was at the top of his class in the early 1990’s, holding records for the fastest man on earth when a devastating accident left him paralyzed.  Ironically, the The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a charity he had chosen to support with his racing platform just 6 months prior, would have his future in their hands.    The Darrell Gwynn Foundation was created to aid spinal cord research through the Miami Project as well as provide support for people with paralysis and to prevent spinal cord injuries.

Katie Sullivan/ Girls for a Change:  NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Katie Sullivan is an active spokesperson for Girls for a Change, a national organization that empowers girls  for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential.