Quicken Loans is partnering with the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) to help “Fuel the Cure” for neurofibromatosis (NF) with the recent announcement that the nation’s largest online lender has donated one of its nine primary races as sponsor of Ryan Newman and his No. 39 Chevrolet Impala to the CTF.
As part of the Fuel the Cure campaign, Newman’s car will feature a special CTF paint scheme during the Toyota/Save Mart 350k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on June 24 – marking the Foundation’s first entrance into professional stock car racing.
In addition to the special paint scheme, Quicken Loans, its partners at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and Newman aim to help CTF raise $390,000 for NF research through the website www.fuelthecure.org. If the goal is met, “Fuel the Cure” and its related programs will have raised $1 million for CTF before 2012 reaches the mid-year mark.
SHR is also offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the Toyota/Save Mart 350k race for a lucky race fan. Every person who donates or raises at least $3,900 between now and June 3, 2012, will be entered in to a random drawing for a pair of passes to a special behind-the-scenes race package. Included is a meet-and-greet with Newman, a tour of his car hauler and pit passes during the race.
“We are very proud of our association with Quicken Loans and are excited to be part of the race in Sonoma,” said Jill Beck, Director of the Racing4Research program. “We set what we felt was a lofty fundraising goal for 2012, and we are now looking at hitting our goal by mid-year. We are grateful for not only the support from Quicken Loans but also Stewart-Haas Racing for the special experience package donation they have come forward with, and it thrills me to think of all the NF Heroes – children with NF – who will benefit from this program.”
NF is a common, yet under-recognized, genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. The disorder can lead to blindness, bone abnormalities, cancer and excruciating and disabling pain. NF affects one in every 3,000 children born, making it a more common disorder than many more widely known illnesses, including cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“Neurofibromatosis is a widely unknown disorder that affects a surprising number of children,” said Jay Farner, President of Quicken Loans. “With our donation, we are hoping to both raise awareness of NF and the great work being done by CTF to find a cure. A lot of smart people are working very hard to eliminate this disorder and we’re proud to provide them the recognition and support they deserve.”
While this is CTF’s first stock car race, the organization has been very active in NASCAR’s GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series for the past five years as part of the Foundation’s Racing4Research fundraising program (www.racing4research.org). In January, Quicken Loans was a sponsor of the No. 4 Children’s Tumor Foundation car that competed in the Rolex 24 Hours endurance race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, an effort that raised more than $600,000 for the CTF cause.
“Before I started talking with the teams at Quicken Loans and CTF I don’t think I had ever heard of neurofibromatosis,” said Newman. “But when you hear how common it is, you can’t help but be shocked that something so serious doesn’t get the attention it deserves. We’re hoping that between our car and fundraising efforts, we will be able to drive CTF closer to finding a cure for this disorder.”
Quicken Loans PR
