Benson, Valvoline and Big Brothers: Executives from The Valvoline Company returned to Daytona today with NASCAR driver Johnny Benson to present Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) with a $50,000 check to further solidify their support of the “Caring Hands” program, which was established in 1999 to raise money and awareness for the country’s premier mentoring program. The donation represents 50,000 handprints collected from NASCAR fans nationwide, following Valvoline’s challenge last year asking supporters to either mail or fax in their handprint for a $1 donation to BBBSA. This amount, coupled with Johnny Benson’s on-track performance incentives, which raised another $30,000 en route to an impressive 11th place finish in the 2001 Winston Cup final points standings, elevated Valvoline’s “Caring Hands” three-year fundraising total over $750,000. Valvoline matches Benson’s performance by donating $5,000 for a win, $2,500 for a pole, $1,000 for a top ten 10 finish, $500 for a top 20 finish and $20 for each lap led. The most significant change to this year’s “Caring Hands” program, is the “Track Match Challenge,” which raises funds for randomly selected Big Brother Big Sisters local agencies in out of race marketers. This new wrinkle, along with the existing contributions made to the BBBSA National office after each race, essentially doubles Valvoline’s contribution to the program for the 2002 racing season.(Valvoline PR)(2-14-2002)
