FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Parker White
Founder/Executive Director
(336) 709-9649
parker@backpackbeginnings.org

BackPack Beginnings’ Parker White Named One of Four Finalists for NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award

Greensboro, NC (July 14, 2016) – BackPack Beginnings is pleased to announce that its Founder and Executive Director, Parker White, has been nominated for The NASCAR Foundation’s sixth annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide. The award honors volunteers from across the country who dedicate themselves to children’s causes in their communities.  BackPack Beginnings is a 100% volunteer organization that delivers child-centric services to feed, comfort and clothe children in need. White is the only finalist based in the Southeast region of the United States.

The NASCAR Foundation will donate a total of $175,000 to the charities of the finalists – with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation and remaining finalists’ charities receiving a $25,000 donation. The national winner will be announced on September 27, 2016 at the NASCAR Foundation’s Honors Gala in New York, NY.

Public voting will take place July 13 through September 26 at 5:00 p.m. ET to determine the award winner. Voting is limited to one vote per day per person.  BackPack Beginnings is calling on the public to vote for Greensboro, NC native, Parker White daily at NASCAR.com/Award. Other finalists in the running include Jim Giaccone, Tuesday’s Children (New York), Andy Hoffman, Team Jack Foundation (Nebraska) and Logan Houptley, Mikayla’s Voice (Pennsylvania).

The Award was established in 2011 to honor The NASCAR Foundation Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus Betty Jane France’s passion for service and volunteerism. Since its inception, the Award has donated over $875,000 to children’s charities in honor of twenty remarkable finalists, with nearly 200,000 children positively impacted.

BackPack Beginnings helps over 6,000 children annually that experience hunger and trauma.  They serve children in need in 38 Guilford County schools and have partnered with 20 agencies that help children in Guilford, Forsyth and Alamance Counties.

“Our Food and Comfort BackPacks make all the difference for a child facing a long weekend filled with hunger or a day shattered by a traumatic experience.  With one in four children going hungry in North Carolina, this grant will help us reach more children,” says Founder and Volunteer Executive Director, Parker White. For more information and to vote, visit NASCAR.com/Award.

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About BackPack Beginnings

BackPack Beginnings, founded in 2010 by Parker White, a native of Greensboro and mother of 2 children, is a 100 percent volunteer-run and donor-driven organization. What started out as a feeding program in one school feeding 50 children has grown to a multi-program organization serving approximately 6,000 children. If you would like to find out more or support BackPack Beginnings through in-kind donations, funding or volunteering, please contact Parker White at parker@backpackbeginnings.org or visit backpackbeginnings.org.

About The NASCAR Foundation

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc. (NASCAR) established The NASCAR Foundation in January 2006 to support initiatives that positively affect the lives of children throughout the United States. The 501(c) (3) non-profit entity partners with medical experts and other charitable organizations to fund children’s health care programs. Now celebrating 10 Years of Giving in 2016, The NASCAR Foundation has cumulatively donated $25 million to reach more than one million children. For more information on The NASCAR Foundation, please visit: NASCARfoundation.org. Follow The NASCAR Foundation on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NASCARFoundation or on Twitter:@NASCAR_FDN.