Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Hits the Road May 8

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 8, 2009) – The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is counting down the days until its official departure from Stevenson, Wash., on May 8. One month from today – and exactly 15 years since the inaugural Kyle Petty Charity Ride left Sacramento, Calif., on its first cross-country journey – NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and more than 200 Ride participants will begin their 3,500-mile trek from the state of Washington to Greensboro, N.C. 
            The 15^th anniversary Ride benefits Victory Junction and other children’s charities. Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded Victory Junction in Randleman, N.C., in 2004. The year-round camp serves children ages 6 to 16, with serious health issues, at no cost to their families. The Petty’s plans to open a second Victory Junction will come to fruition on May 13 when the Ride stops in Kansas City, Kan., to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking celebration at the site of the new camp. 

Since its inception, the Ride has visited 49 states and donated more than $12 million to children’s charities. Riders have traveled approximately 7.9 million cumulative motorcycle miles, and 13 riders have participated all 15 years. This year, notable Ride participants include NASCAR legend Harry Gant, Chick-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy, football great Herschel Walker and PGA Tour Professional Davis Love III.

 

as ongoing updates, fundraising tips and inspirational Victory Junction camper stories. For more information and team registration, visit www.kylepettycharityride.com. 

“We’ve already seen a wonderful response from communities across the country in the second year of the Charity Ride Dream Team Challenge,” said Petty. “From the ‘Stevenson Dream Team’ in Washington state to the ‘Make-a-Difference Team’ in Charlotte, N.C., people are working hard to support the Ride and spread the word about our arrival in their communities. I hope even more Dream Teams will join us and get excited about helping children with serious medical conditions.”

Donations may be mailed to Kyle Petty Charity Ride, Inc., 125 Floyd Smith Drive, Suite 45, Charlotte, NC 28262. Checks should be made payable to “Kyle Petty Charity Ride, Inc.” and indicate “Charity Ride Dream Team Challenge” in the “For” line. 

Fans, media and Charity Ride supporters are invited to virtually participate in the Ride at www.kylepettycharityride.com and through the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Facebook public profile. The Virtual Ride allows users to view video footage, photos, Kyle’s daily blog entries and sound clips from each day’s adventures on the road.

 

Led by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America raises awareness of and funds for Victory Junction and other charities supporting chronically ill children. The Ride is one of the most successful and popular charity events in NASCAR. Now in its 15^th year, the Ride has donated more than $12 million to children’s charities, with 6,100 participants logging more than 7.9 million cumulative motorcycle miles. In 2009, NASCAR celebrities, Ride sponsors and motorcycle enthusiasts will travel from Stevenson, Wash. to Greensboro, N.C. from May 8-17. www.kylepettycharityride.com   

 

Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children ages six to 16 with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, N.C., with a second location opening soon in Kansas City, Kan. Victory Junction offers programs for 24 disease groups and maintains strong relationships with 26 partner hospitals. Victory Junction’s mission is to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment. As a not-for-profit organization, the camp operates solely through the support of generous donors to provide this experience at no charge to children and their families. www.victoryjunction.org

 

Celebrating its 42nd year in business, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc., is the nation’s second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain (based on sales), with more than 1,425 restaurants in 38 states and Washington, D.C. In 2008, Chick-fil-A reported system-wide sales of $2.9 billion, representing a 12.17 percent increase over the chain\'s 2007 overall sales performance and a strong same-store sales increase of 4.59 percent. Chick-fil-A\'s record sales performance marked the chain\'s 41st consecutive year of system-wide sales gains. 

 

Credited with inventing the boneless breast of chicken sandwich and first introducing the chicken nugget concept, Chick-fil-A serves nutritious and freshly prepared food products in mall locations, stand-alone restaurants, drive-thru-only restaurants, Chick-fil-A Dwarf House® and Truett’s Grill® full-service restaurants, and through licensed outlets in college campuses, hospitals, airports, businesses and industrial sites. www.chick-fil-a.com or www.truettcathy.com