DRIVERS BRING HOPE TO KIDS
2010-06-07
The American Le Mans Series’ GTC teams team up with the Austin Hatcher Foundation for a carefree childhood to provide hope and diversionary therapy to Salt Lake City Utah children and families prior to the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix.
Velox Racing driver Shane Lewis and ORBIT Racing drivers Bryce Miller and Luke Hines will schedule a pit stop to build pine box cars, play Forza Motorsport 3 on XBox, and color in ALMS Activity Books with kids at Shriners Hospital for Children—Salt Lake City Friday, July 9th from 9am – 11am.
In a continued effort to change the world through caring for kids, Shiners Hospital for Children will host the Series’ official charity, the Austin Hatcher Foundation, as well as its teams from prior to the American Le Mans Series’ fourth round of sports car racing at Miller Motorsports Park.
“We are excited to return to the Salt Lake City Shriners Hospital," said Jim Osborn, MD Co-Founder of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for a Carefree Childhood. “The Shriners Hospitals for Children health care facilities are dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. They have always been a leader in pediatric orthopaedic Care whether trauma, congenital or oncologic in origin. They are fabulous health care centers.”
The Austin Hatcher Foundation and the American Le Mans Series: In an effort to help support children and families dealing with issues resulting from pediatric cancer, the American Le Mans Series has partnered with the Austin Hatcher Foundation as an official charity of the Series. During each season, many of the world’s top sports car drivers will visit pediatric wards in various race markets nationwide to directly interact and support the children with pediatric cancer and their families.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for a carefree childhood was formed in 2006 after Amy Jo and Jim Osborn lost their infant son Hatch to a rare form of pediatric cancer. The foundation’s mission is to support research towards the diagnosis, treatment and development of a cure for pediatric cancer, and to provide support and hope to children and families undergoing treatment as well as those who have lost children due to cancer. The foundation has developed a landmark group of programs and services essential to help cancer stricken children and their families function within their community. All services provided by the Foundation are free of charge, funded solely by the generous donations of its supporters. www.hatcherfoundation.org
Hatch’s house of hope is a unique concept designed to keep the family unit whole when dealing with pediatric cancer. Specifically, these services include IIP neurocognitive testing, educational programming to help effected children overcome their cognitive and learning deficits, emotional counseling for the cancer affected child, their siblings and parents, and marital and financial counseling to ensure a safe environment to maximize the family growth as a whole. All services at Hatch’s are free to its guests, funded entirely by donations. Erlanger Medical Mall in Chattanooga, TN is the site of the first Hatch’s house of hope, which opened September 18, 2009. For more information, visit www.hatchshouse.org
