>>> A Message from CARA Leadership
Since 1981, CARA Charities has been a driving force behind philanthropic projects on behalf of the open-wheel Motorsports family, their fans, and their sponsors. That’s 30 years of giving the necessary time, talent, and treasure to impact the lives of children and families right here at home and around the country. If it were not for the generosity of our past supporters, including YOU, we would not have been able to accomplish so many incredible things in our first three decades of service. But, like the rest of the not-for-profit and charitable sector, CARA Charities has faced a decline in financial resources over the past two years.
As CARA Charities prepares to embark on a special 30th Anniversary Campaign, would you consider a gift, at any level, to help ensure that we can continue to impact the lives of children and families for another 30 years? A donation of $30 in honor of our milestone anniversary, will help fund our popular CARA Cares program which helps us deliver smiles to the faces of children who need something to smile about. Supporting CARA Cares helps fund our effort to organize visits and toy deliveries to children’s hospitals with members of the Motorsports community, including drivers, sponsors and the always-popular friend of CARA, the Firestone Firehawk mascot.
Thanks to donors like you, CARA Charities has been able to develop and deliver local and national award-winning programs, such as Buckle Up Baby, that help keep children safe on our highways and roadways. In 2000, CARA received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Buckle Up America Award for the impact made by CARA‘s Buckle Up Baby program. A donation of $300 can help fund our effort to provide car seats and special-needs restraints to families in need. Did you know that every dollar spent on a child safety seat saves this country $32? Through Buckle Up Baby, CARA Charities, in partnership with the Bridgestone of the America’s Trust Fund, has made more than 450 check presentations to area children’s hospitals providing more than $850,000 in funds to support the initiative.
While CARA Charities has many great new ways to become involved with our special 30th Anniversary Campaign, our focus for the year-long celebration is increasing the impact we make in the lives of children and families in each community we serve. A donation of $3,000 can help launch a new program or initiative, such as our new children’s health and fitness program or our new educational outreach initiative about proper car-seat installation. Did you know that motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S.? According to the CDC, most of these deaths can be prevented when age- and size- appropriate car seats are installed properly. With your help, we can collectively change this alarming statistic.
Remember, a donation AT ANY LEVEL can help make a difference because there is nothing stronger than the power of people working together. Your donation will be recognized along with other donors, including members of the Motorsports family, industry sponsors, and race fans in our special 30th Anniversary Spirit of Champions Hall of Fame, on display beginning January 1, 2011, marking the official beginning of our year-long campaign and celebration.
Thank you for your past support and we look forward to teaming up with you as we embark on our next 30 years of service in the name of Motorsports.
Sincerely,
Cathleen Lyon Judy Warren
Executive Director Board President
