Jimmie and Chandra Johnson announced today the creation of the “Jimmie Johnson Foundation” to aid charities that work with children and families. Johnson said the mission of the foundation is to fund five existing charities: the American Red Cross, Victory Junction Gang, Randy Dorton Memorial Fund, Make-A-Wish, and the Hendrick Marrow program. The foundation’s first activity is an eBay online charity auction that started at the beginning of the year. The auction includes racing and sports memorabilia, but will separate itself from most online auctions by offering fans the chance to bid on experiences with celebrities and professional athletes. Mike Rucker of the Carolina Panthers as well as Marcus Giles and Mike Hampton of the Atlanta Braves joined the Johnson’s in Daytona for the foundation announcement. Fans can bid on the souvenir items and experiences at www.ebay.com/jimmiejohnsonfoundation.
The auction includes tickets to sporting events, impressive experiences from Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers and Rick Hendrick. The experiences and items also include donations from Major League Baseball players Marcus Giles, Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz and Cal Ripken, Jr; NFL players Mike Rucker, Howie Long, Brandon Short and Mark Rypien; NBA Chicago Bulls; bowler Parker Bohn, III; NHL player Mario Lemieux; Olympic gold medalists Dan Jansen and Mary Lou Retton; celebrities Nick Lachey, Tracy Lawrence, Freddy Holliday and Kendra Bentley Holliday from the Amazing Race 6 and professional poker player Annie Duke. In addition to the auction, 1,000 commemorative coins were produced. The coins have the foundation logo on one side and “Inaugural Fundraiser” with the official launch date “2-11-06” on the other. The coins may be purchased for a donation of $50 or more at www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org. All proceeds will benefit the foundation.(GMR PR)(2-12-2006)
