The partnership Code 3 Associates has with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) culminates with the Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Kansas Speedway. But well before the No. 39 Code 3 Associates Chevrolet was unloaded for Ryan Newman to wheel around the newly-paved 1.5-mile oval, Code 3 Associates had already made an impact with Newman and his SHR teammate Tony Stewart.
Augmenting its sponsorship of SHR, Code 3 Associates, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization specializing in animal rescue and recovery in disaster areas, partnered with the Ryan Newman Foundation and the Tony Stewart Foundation, both of which specialize in animal welfare.
“A benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, approached us based on our mutual interests in animal welfare and NASCAR, and asked where he might be able to support our mission in NASCAR,” said Eric Bagdikian, president, Code 3 Associates. “Knowing of Ryan and Tony’s respective animal-oriented foundations, a collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing became the obvious choice. By partnering with Ryan and Tony’s foundations, all three organizations have broadened their scope and ability to serve the community.”
For the Ryan Newman Foundation, Code 3 Associates allowed for a dramatic increase in its spay/neuter grant program. The Foundation awarded $560,000 in grants to 142 groups across the United States, double what the foundation was able to do in 2011.
“Code 3 Associates has a been a great partner for our foundation, and we look forward to growing this partnership,” said Newman, winner of the 2008 Daytona 500. “Their compassion for animals is something my wife Krissie and I both share. They aren’t just a partner that writes a check. Our first meeting was like seeing old friends again. They have a lot of knowledge to offer and always answer our calls when we’re presented with questions and needs from animals groups in areas where tragedy has hit.”
For the Tony Stewart Foundation, Code 3 Associates allowed the foundation to make sizeable grants to such entities as the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN), Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and its Mobile Wellness Clinic, Ryan Newman’s Rescue Ranch, the Humane Society of Hamilton (Ind.) County, the Humane Society of Indianapolis and the Humane Society of Boulder (Colo.) Valley.
“The extraordinary gift from Code 3 Associates enabled the Tony Stewart Foundation to provide additional funds to top-tier organizations serving animals and children,” said Stewart, the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. “The programs selected have a ripple effect beyond the lives of those receiving direct services, and the partnership with Code 3 Associates will impact hundreds of animals and children throughout the United States.”
Formed in 1985, Colorado-based Code 3 Associates is a national response team that at the request of local government officials provides animal rescue and recovery during any kind of disaster. The organization has evolved from one unpaid volunteer to at least 75 professional responders around the country, which includes animal welfare, law enforcement, fire, EMS and veterinary specialists from the United States and Canada. While its focus is animals and their owners, Code 3 Associates trains its responders to the standards of human rescue, and Code 3 Associates also provides training to conduct thorough investigations into animal welfare, all of which is accredited by Colorado State University (CSU) and the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
“We’re thrilled to see this partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who are recognized for their leadership and performance on and off the track, come to fruition,” Bagdikian said. “Both drivers are generous supporters of animal rescue and welfare, with each of their foundations specializing in this cause. This initiative with Stewart-Haas Racing has greatly raised the profile of our collective mission, which is to provide animal rescue and recovery in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.”
With the No. 39 Code 3 Associates Chevrolet on the track at Kansas, the group’s logo and slogan, “Riders On The Storm Animal Rescue Team,” will appear familiar to many. When a devastating tornado struck nearby Joplin, Mo., just a few weeks before last year’s June race at Kansas, Code 3 Associates arrived shortly thereafter. With its mobile command center known as BART (Big Animal Rescue Truck) on the scene, teams from Code 3 Associates assisted in the search and recovery of animal victims displaced by the tornado. Code 3 Associates remained in Joplin before being called to Pierre, N.D., where severe flooding from the Missouri River necessitated the specialty work of Code 3 Associates for nearly two months.
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