Racing for a Cause educates over 5 Million people about eosinophilic disorders!

Wow! Can you believe it?!?! Racing for a Cause has educated over 5 Million people about eosinophilic disorders since I started the campaign in 2009. 5 Million! I can't even imagine how many that is!

What started out as a little project to create awareness of these diseases and raise some money to help APFED (American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders) to educate the public and medical community has become an international program.

I started RFAC in 2009 when I was 6 by putting Racing for a Cause and APFED on my dirt track go-kart and asking friends and family to donate to APFED every time I won a race. In 2010, due to interest from other races I met through social media, I started the Racing for a Cause Team. Drivers from around the world joined me to educate those in their own communities about eosinophilic disorders.

So, how did we, me and the RFAC Team, reach 5 Million people? Obviously, a LOT of work. But here are some of the things we did:

- I have participated in interviews on radio, television, print and online media, every chance I got. I also host an active social media network on both Twitter and Facebook. Throughout the year I do appearances in the southeastern US with my race kart at businesses and events. I also became a member of the Kids Are Heroes organization, which features kids who do charitable works. During National Eosinophil Awareness Week (May 2011) I visited 76 physicians and medical assistants in my county, educating them on these diseases.

- RFAC Team Members all put the RFAC logo on their race cars/karts, educated those at the track each time they raced, as well as promoting RFAC on their own websites.

- Sponsors and supporters helped to promote RFAC with features on their websites as well as through Social Media.

- RFAC Team Member Larry Spencer III was featured in a racing magazine and included his involvement with RFAC in his interview.

- Many of the members of the Team came out to support our 1st Racing for a Cause, Racin' with the Big Dogs event in January, which drew enormous media attention and educated 1.2 million people nationally. (Racing for a Cause, Racin’ with the Big Dogs Event)

- RFAC Team Member Jeremy Clements donated the hood of his NASCAR Nationwide Series car, running the RFAC logo at races in Iowa, Watkins Glen, Montreal, and Richmond.

- RFAC Team Member Kyle Mitchell and Marlo Motorsports hosted a RFAC awareness night at Deming Speedway's Championship Night in Everson, WA, with 72 racers carrying the RFAC logo, as well as promoting RFAC on Kyle’s #76 Mini-Sprint car.

- The entire Team helped us to sponsor Jeremy Clements to run the No. 51 APFED / Racing for a Cause NNS car at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 3, 2011, through financial support and/or by promoting our efforts to raise the money to sponsor the car. (Pictures / Sponsors)

- RFAC Team Member Jeffrey West, Jr. and his family sponsored a race class at the huge Thanksgiving Thunder/Big Dog Races over Thanksgiving weekend in Carnesville, Ga. Throughout the weekend, RFAC supporter and race announcer Phil Combs did interviews with Jeffrey and I and encouraged the thousands of racers and their families in attendance to learn more about eosinophilic disorders.

So, our plans for the future? I am going to need to take sometime and put those together. Our goal for 2011 was to reach 2.5 Million, and we hit double that!

Thank you so much to the Racing for a Cause Team, my family for helping to coordinate this program, our SPONSORS (Springer Racing, ESA Truck Sales, House of Jerky, CTA Digital, Sage Fruit Co, Pink Lady America, and Ultramax Racing Chassis), and ALL our supporters. Together we are making a REAL difference in the lives of those who are still suffering, trying to obtain an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of eosinophilic disorders.

Someday, NO ONE will suffer and live in pain like I did from an eosinophilic disorder!!!!

You can keep up to date on what is happening with Racing for a Cause at http://www.racingforacause.com.  Sign up for our newsletters while you are there!

- Ricky