Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Daytona Beach, FL — Racing 2 Cure (R2C) will make its official public debut February 26th through March 7th at the 69th Annual Bike Weeks in Daytona Beach, Florida. R2C’s founder, 10-year old Hunter Stewart will be in attendance to help raise awareness and funding for the unique non-profit organization. The interactive Mobile R2C display will be located on Beach Street near the Harley Davidson Corporate area. Visitors can challenge the Hunter’s score in a race simulator and win prizes. They will be providing t-shirts and other items for donations. In addition, visitors of the booth can enter their “Helmets for HELP” raffle program. R2C will have several Autographed helmets from top NASCAR Drivers and other celebrities.
R2C began as a small action from a then 7-year old Hunter Stewart after learning his Mom [Alycia-34] had Breast Cancer. As a young off-road racer Hunter took a bucket to the race track and began collecting donations from fans and fellow competitors. His story grew and eventually landed him as a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show along with being named a Forbes.com top ten most inspirational people under the age of 18. Today the Stewart family has formalized Racing 2 Cure as a non-profit organization that focuses on support of what they call the “little” things families need while going through cancer.
“When I was going through Chemo Therapy treatments I was absent from the home mentally and physically. My kids were basically without a mother,” said Alycia Stewart, who has since dedicated her life’s work to Racing 2 Cure. “We had family and friends to help out with the little things like doing laundry, making meals, and providing the kids help with schoolwork. But I’ve met other people going through Cancer that are not as fortunate. They don’t have anyone to help. Research is of course important. We hope that one day we won’t be needed. But until then we want to help ease the tremendous burden that Cancer brings to a home.”
In partnership with the Susan G. Komen foundation R2C raises funding to provide transportation, meals, tutors for children, house cleaning and general support to single mothers and young children.
“We are excited to have Racing 2 Cure as part of this year’s Bike Week’s festivities,” said Shelly Rossmeyer Pepe, General Manager at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley Davidson. It further showcases the character of those who attend Bike Week and only adds to the many charity rides and charitable focuses that will take place during the event.”
About Racing 2 Cure (R2C): Racing 2 Cure began as a simple act of then 7-year old Hunter Stewart. Hunter was starting his off-road racing career when he received troubling news just a few weeks before his first ever race. His Mom at just 34 years old was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. In order to maintain a positive focus, the family decided to continue Hunter’s racing. Inspired to take action Hunter began to donate a portion of his allowance for every race lap he completed. He also re-designed his race truck to carry the Susan G. Komen logo. This one-race effort inspired others to take action. Hunter’s story was largely covered by the media and recognized by public officials, including a guest appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. The Stewart family formalized Racing 2 Cure into a 501c3 Non-Profit organization registered in the State of North Carolina. Through their interactive mobile event display R2C raises funding to provide for families in need which are going through cancer. In addition funds support awareness and research efforts of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
About The 69th annual Bike Week in Daytona Beach: Kicking off February 26th and roaring through March 7th on Beach Street in Daytona with national bike builders like V-Force, Irish Choppers and Big Dog motorcycles occupying space in Riverfront Park. Come join Bruce Rossmeyer Harley Davidson in welcoming The Harley Davidson corporate company to Beach Street, who will be occupying over 40,000 square feet of biker hot space, showcasing custom bikes, poker runs, collectibles and other interactive displays. The 69th annual Bike Week on Beach Street in Daytona will be the highlight of this year’s event with interactive displays, free bike parking, bands throughout the week.