Four longtime volunteers in the Martinsville and Henry County area have been nominated for the inaugural Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award by Martinsville Speedway.
Linda Bowman, Dr. Mark Crabtree, Dr. David Jones and Lydia Pegram have been nominated by the Speedway staff for their service to the Martinsville and Henry County community.
The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award was established by the NASCAR Foundation to pay tribute to France’s philanthropic efforts and to acknowledge NASCAR fans nationwide who share her spirit of generosity and volunteerism. Nominees must have made a significant impact on the lives of children through volunteerism or charitable work during the past five years and demonstrate a passion for NASCAR. France, the chairperson of the NASCAR Foundation, is the widow of former NASCAR president Bill France Jr.
“Our staff worked hard to come up with who we think are four deserving nominees for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It was difficult narrowing it down because our area is known for its community involvement, but these four nominees have certainly gone above and beyond.”
Bowman’s interest in the March of Dimes began with a fund drive when she was still an elementary school student. Her passion for the charity grew over the years and she now commits over 100 hours each month to the March of Dimes. Her involvement has grown to making and selling baked goods and candies and leading the Martinsville March for Babies.
Bowman, who has been volunteering with the March of Dimes for more than 30 years, was inducted into the March of Dimes Virginia Chapter Volunteers’ Hall of Fame and has raised more than $400,000 during her years of volunteer work.
Bowman is a longtime NASCAR fan, but her biggest racing thrill wasn’t at a race; it was riding in the Martinsville Speedway pace car to start a March of Dimes Walk at the track.
As a dentist, Crabtree is known for helping children smile and he has carried that philosophy far beyond the walls of his office. He was instrumental in the formation of the Piedmont Virginia Dental Health Foundation and continues to operate and oversee the foundation’s community dental clinic which provides free dental care to children and adults.
Since August of 2006, the dental clinic has provided over 4,818 appointments for children needing dental procedures with a market value of at least $1,290,085.20. The total program, including adults, has provided over $3.25 million in services.
Crabtree is a longtime NASCAR fan, and, while serving as Mayor of the City of Martinsville, welcomed fans to the area in prerace activities. He says one of his favorite parts of NASCAR racing is The Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog™.
Jones is another familiar face in the community, both as an orthodontist and in his role as the founder of the local chapter of Trout in the Classroom. Trout in the Classroom is used to inspire students while teaching them about the environment.
Classes involved in the project raise trout from eggs to minnow-size in classroom tanks and then release them into local trout waters. Students monitor water quality in the tank, engage in stream habitat studies, learn to appreciate water resources, begin to foster conservation ethics and grow to understand ecosystems.
Over the past decade, Jones has impacted more than 5,000 students through the program.
A lifelong resident of Martinsville, Jones’ racing roots can be traced directly to Martinsville Speedway. As a college student, he would bring fraternity brothers home for the weekend to take in the NASCAR events.
Pegram has been a valued volunteer at Tackfully Teamed Riding Academy, Inc. for nearly six years. She provides therapeutic and other equine activities to handicapped and special needs children, allowing these children the chance to function and excel in ways they never thought possible. Her devotion is made more incredible by the fact she was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in 2005.
Her work with Tackfully Teamed is broad, including working with the riders, tutoring, marketing the program, counseling riders and parents and serving as drama director for the group’s drama fundraiser each year.
Pegram has worked with each fundraiser for the group for the last several years, helping to raise more than $25,000 to benefit children with disabilities.
She has been a race fan ever since she can remember and has fond memories of going to NASCAR events with her late father.
Martinsville Speedway’s nominees are part of a national pool of over 300 nominees. Four finalists from that group will be selected in October and the award-winner and three runners-up will be decided in online voting by fans.
Three finalists will receive a $25,000 donation to the children’s charity of their choice while the winner of the 2011 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award will receive a $100,000 donation to the children’s charity of their choice, the use of a new car for a year, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series banquet in Las Vegas in December.
Martinsville Speedway PR
