Event raised thousands to benefit local Autism programs M.O.R.E and InAlliance
[b PLACERVILLE, CA –] Anyone who attends the weekly events at Placerville Speedway is well aware of the great number of dedicated race fans and teams that call the 45-year-old dirt track their home every Saturday night. In Northern California, little can compare to the camaraderie and the passion that exists at the famed Sierra Foothill track where the stands are nearly filled to capacity on any given week at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.
Last Saturday night , Placerville's passionate race fans, teams and management all came together with various members of the business community to present the inaugural Autism Awareness Day in El Dorado County. The planning for this event began just a few weeks ago when Brian Cannon Motorsports collaborated with their Autism Awareness sponsorship program. In a matter of days, a number of area businesses jumped on board along with Handy Racing Promotions, the management team of Placerville Speedway, and the first ever Autism Awareness Day was off and running.
The event started on race day in the morning hours at Food 4 Less in Cameron Park. Members of "Team Cannon" and the Autism Awareness campaign set up a large display near the entrance of the family owned super market chain. The event featured free hot dogs and ice cream floats and raffle tickets were sold for numerous prizes to be awarded later in the night. Monetary donations were accepted at the event and much of the resources to create the fundraiser event were donated by various businesses, individuals and Placerville Speedway.
"This event is a perfect example of how community partnerships work and how they are so important for venues like ours," said Bill Sullivan of Placerville Speedway. "Everyone came together in this event in a short amount of time. It benefited a great cause and was a very special night for a number of guests brought here by the Autism Awareness campaign. We were all honored to be part of this event."
With the combined event at Food 4 Less and outreach efforts at the track by the Autism Awareness team, race fans alone raised $1630. Handy Racing Promotions nearly doubled the proceeds with an additional $1000 contribution at intermission. The proceeds from the combined effort were awarded to two different Autism programs in El Dorado County; Motherlode Rehabilitation Enterprises (M.O.R.E) and In Alliance.
Susie Davies, the Executive Director of M.O.R.E, participated in Saturday's event. She joined with the members of the Autism Awareness Race Team on the infield Saturday night to accept the much appreciated donation.
"Thank you to everyone for their support in this event," Davies told the crowd. "This is absolutely wonderful for our first ever year doing this."
Ben Praker accepted the proceeds for InAlliance. For Praker, Saturday marked the first time he had visited Placerville Speedway personally. Praker was impressed with the passionate fans packing the stands and the entertainment on the track.
"In Alliance is very grateful for this donation, thank you," said Praker. "I have never been to this place and all I can say is…wow… This is awesome. I'll be back."
A number of prizes were raffled off Saturday night, including three brand new bicycles that were donated by the Placerville WalMart. Additional prizes included a Dewalt Construction from River City Building Materials; muffler and installation from ADCO Drivelines; a coffee basket and gift card from Shingle Springs Coffee Company; an Extreme Performance Battery from West Sacramento Battery and several T-Shirts from Placerville Speedway.
Throughout the evening, one of Placerville's biggest fans, Scott Van Den Broeke, assisted with the track announcing, calling out the winning ticket numbers like a pro over the track public address system. Scott suffers from Autism and attends nearly every Placerville Speedway event with his father Steve, who helped sponsor the event.
"This wasn't just about the fundraising here tonight," said Steve Van Den Broeke. "This about a special night for a lot of people that never had an opportunity to come to such a great place like this. This is a night they will never forget. Placerville Speedway is where the fun and the action is. We look forward to doing it again next year."
Additional businesses that assisted with Saturday's event that the Autism Awareness team would like to acknowledge include Food 4 Less and Nugget Markets, Walmart, Dr. Pepper and Snapple, Minuteman Press, Francis Distributing, Red Line Oil, Medeiros Concrete Pumping, Windfall, Dryers Ice Cream and the Mountain Democrat Newspaper.
Racing returns to Placerville Speedway this Saturday night with championship point racing. The front gates will open at 5 p.m. with qualifying starting at 6 p.m. For further information visit the track website at www.placervillespeedway.com.
- Bill Sullivan on May 19, 2010
- Article Date: 5/19/2010