Giving Back to Give Kids The World

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Tony Stewart has sometimes referred to himself as a 14-year-old trapped in a 37-year-old's body. At the Aug. 16 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Stewart's No. 20 Old Spice Toyota will reflect that line of thought.

Replacing the traditional candy apple red colors of primary sponsor Old Spice on Stewart's signature No. 20 machine will be a kaleidoscope of colors care of 14-year-old Emily Marsala. The special paint scheme will commemorate Old Spice's support ofKissimmee, Fla.-based Give Kids The World, as well as the support of Give Kids The World from Old Spice's parent company -- Procter & Gamble (P&G).

"We have been honored to work with Give Kids The World, the Tony Stewart Foundation and Joe Gibbs Racing on such a creative program this racing season," said Carl Stealey, Old Spice associate marketing director. "Old Spice is excited to announce that the money donated will help Give Kids The World grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses who want to visit any ofCentral Florida's best-loved attractions, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando."

P&G has supported Give Kids The World in a variety of ways for 18 years, most recently with its Tide sponsorship of Ricky Rudd and later Ricky Craven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. While P&G continued to support Give Kids The World through its Live, Learn and Thrive program, the racing tie-in with Tide ended after the 2005 season. Due to the successful Tide program, the racing partnership is back in 2008 with a $100,000 donation on behalf of Old Spice, the Tony Stewart Foundation and Joe Gibbs Racing.

Give Kids The World provides the Wish Child and their family a weeklong vacation with everything they need at no cost. Accommodations are made at the Give Kids The World Village, a 70-acre, non-profit resort where families can stay in two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas. Also onsite is a whimsical gingerbread house restaurant, a magical castle that has a handmade, wheelchair accessible carousel, an interactive, seven-hole miniature golf course, and the world's only life-sized CANDY LAND-themed playground. The collective donation made by Old Spice, the Tony Stewart Foundation and Joe Gibbs Racing will contribute to these week-long, cost-free vacations, which also include meals in the Gingerbread House Restaurant and all of the special entertainment and "surprises" that take place during the family's visit.

Give Kids The World has welcomed over 88,000 families from all 50 states and more than 65 countries. One of those families was none other than the Gibbs family.

Three-year-old Taylor Gibbs, son of Joe Gibbs Racing team president J.D. Gibbs and grandson of three-time Super Bowl-winning and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, on Jan. 9, 2007 when he was two. Currently in remission, Taylor visited Give Kids The World in October 2007, allowing J.D. and his family to see firsthand the magical memories Give Kids The World creates for its attendees.

"For my wife Melissa, Taylor and our two other boys, we were totally blown away by the experience we had at Give Kids The World," J.D. said. "The kids didn't want to leave to go to Disney World. They wanted to stay right there in The Village at Give Kids The World.

"The greatest thing about the whole experience was that for one week, it allowed for Taylor and the rest of us to live as if nothing was wrong. We all forgot about the trials and tribulations that come with fighting leukemia. That's what makes Give Kids The World so invaluable, and thanks to the impact it had on our entire family and thousands of others, we plan on partnering with them for years to come."

Marsala, a Give Kids The World Wish Child in 2004 who has successfully battled cancer, provided the winning design of Stewart's No. 20 Old Spice Toyota. TheCincinnati-native's paint scheme was chosen from more than 150 designs, all of which came from current or former Wish Children of Give Kids The World. The winning entry won Marsala and her family an all-expense paid trip to the Nationwide Series race atMichigan, where they'll meet Stewart and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Team, ride with Stewart in the back of a pickup truck as he makes his parade lap around the 2-mile oval, all before hanging out in the pits and then watching the race from the air-conditioned comfort of a skybox suite.

"It'll be an honor to drive the car Emily designed in the Nationwide Series race atMichigan," said Stewart, who has won five Nationwide Series races already this year, and is driving for the same team that won last year's Nationwide Series race atMichigan. "The car will give me some good camouflage during the race, because with a purple, blue, yellow and red race car that has a bunny rabbit on the hood, no one will know that it's me getting ready to pass them."

Those who want to join Old Spice, Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing by donating to Give Kids The World can do so by contributing money, in-kind gifts from Give Kids The World's Wish List or by purchasing gifts from Give Kids The World's online store. Time can also be donated by organizing a fundraiser and by volunteering, as Give Kids The World fills more than 1,200 volunteer shifts each week.

"Give Kids The World is honored to partner with Old Spice, Joe Gibbs Racing and the Tony Stewart Foundation. Getting the chance to redesign the Old Spice car is a dream come true, and our special children were excited to share their designs," said Pamela Landwirth, president, Give Kids The World. "Thanks to the generosity of these wonderful partners, we will be able to welcome many more children with life-threatening illnesses to our special Village, creating for them the happiness that inspires hope."

Ninety-three cents of every dollar donated to Give Kids The World directly supports the fulfillment of children's wishes. Give Kids The World has maintained one of the lowest administrative rates in the nation. In 2007, Give Kids The World's administrative rate was 7.3 percent. To learn more about Give Kids The World, please visit http://www.gktw.org.

About Give Kids The World:

Give Kids The World (GKTW) is a 70-acre, non-profit resort inCentral Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. GKTW provides accommodations at its whimsical resort, donated attractions tickets, meals and more for a weeklong, cost-free fantasy vacation. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, GKTW has welcomed over 88,000 families from all 50 states and more than 65 countries. To learn more, please visit http://www.gktw.org.

About P&G (NYSE:PG):

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands. For more details about P&G Live, Learn and Thrive visit http://www.pglivelearnthrive.com.

About the Tony Stewart Foundation:

Established in 2003, the Tony Stewart Foundation (TSF) raises funds and distributes grants to IRS-qualified charitable organizations which provide programs and services for chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and outfits specializing in the protection of various animal species. For more information regarding TSF or to donate to TSF, please visit http://www.TonyStewartFoundation.org.

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams and a driver development program. Its driver lineup consists of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series; Stewart, Hamlin, Busch and Joey Logano in the Nationwide Series; and Marc Davis in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. Based inHuntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs -- a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships and more than 90 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500. To learn more, please visit http://www.JoeGibbsRacing.com.

     Contact:
     Mike Arning
     True Speed Communication
     (770) 924-5088 or Mike.Arning@TrueSpeedCommunication.com
     http://www.TrueSpeedCommunication.com
     Online Media Kit Available at: http://www.TrueSpeedMedia.com

     Chad Darwin
     PainePR
     213-996-3776
     cdarwin@painepr.com

SOURCE Old Spice

Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News

Tags: Wal Mart, Sears, Nordstrom and other Retail, , florida

   _   _

         

Is your favorite bookmark site missing? Ask for it.