Kurt Busch is asking students in his hometown of Las Vegas for their autographs. As part of the national 2005 Sharpie Retractable Autographs for Education Program, Busch is making a pre-race pit stop at his former middle school, asking students to autograph an oversized autograph wall and his #97 Sharpie Ford. The signatures will become part of a permanent paint scheme when he races at his “home away from home” in Bristol, Tenn., on April 3, 2005. In exchange for the autographs, Busch will deliver $10,000 in school supplies and funds to Guinn Middle School. The donation to the Las Vegas public school is a part of Sharpie’s 2005 pledge to award $1 million worth of school supplies and funds to schools nationwide.
At an all-school assembly, Busch will:
* Have students sign the deck lid of the #97 Sharpie Ford, which will give their autographs a “ride-along” of their own at the upcoming race in Busch’s adopted hometown of Bristol, where the car will debut
* Host a Q&A session with the students and secure their autographs on an 8′ X 10′ autograph wall
* Award school supplies and funds in exchange for the student autographs
* Detail how other schools can vie for school supplies and how students can seek scholarships through the program.
“Autographs for Education” enlists support from celebrities and professional athletes like Kurt Busch to talk with students, teachers, schools and community-based education organizations. The campaign is helping schools vie for $25,000 worth of school supplies and individuals contend for $150,000 in college scholarships. The program kicked off at professional football’s biggest game in Jacksonville with broadcaster Howie Long and various NFL athletes, and will continue its local-market tour of cities across the country.(WeberShandwick.com)(3-10-2005)
