WELCOME, N.C. (April 27, 2011) – Richard Childress received two awards for his charitable work in early April – one for his support of our troops from the Armed Forces Foundation and one for his family’s work with the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.
While in Washington, D.C. for the seventh annual Armed Forces Foundation Congressional Gala, Mr. Childress took the opportunity to visit several injured soldiers at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md. Most of the soldiers suffered from traumatic blast injuries and recently received the Purple Heart. At the gala later that evening, Mr. Childress received the Bill and Beverly Young Humanitarian of the Year Award. He has visited U.S. military troops across the nation, as well as in other countries, including Iraq, Bosnia, and Spain.
“I am humbled to receive an award for humanitarianism from an organization that supports America’s troops,” said Mr. Childress, President and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “The men and women who fight and sacrifice for our country’s freedom are my heroes, and I will gladly continue to do what I can to support them. America is the greatest country in the world, and we must remember that freedom isn’t free.”
“A lot of people look at Richard as a NASCAR team owner, but he does so much more than that,” said Patricia Driscoll, President and Executive Director of the Armed Forces Foundation. “We feel honored that he takes the time out of his packed schedule to give back to the troops and support our foundation.”
A few days later, the Winston-Salem branch of the Exchange/SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) organization awarded Richard and his wife, Judy Childress, with the 2011 Founders Award for their exceptional commitment to the health and well being of children.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill presented the award to Mrs. Childress and cited the Childresses’ work helping children since launching the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in July 2008. The Institute is working to save the lives of children who experience serious injuries and help them recover quickly through research, education and prevention. April is Child Abuse Prevention month.
“SCAN is pleased to award the 2011 Founders Award to Richard and Judy Childress. This recognition is based on various criteria including contributions that allow for the improved welfare of children in the community, spirit of generosity evident in community activities, and enthusiasm for community efforts towards this end,” said O’Neill, a SCAN member. “The recipient of the Founders Award must also be a strong supporter of the numerous systems and entities that are needed to advance child abuse prevention, treatment and intervention. We feel that Richard and Judy Childress embody this message and are truly deserving of this recognition as they have worked to improve the outcomes for childhood trauma.”
“Judy and I are honored that SCAN, an organization that does so much in our community for children, would present us with an award,” said Mr. Childress, who co-founded the Childress Institute with his wife. “Exchange and SCAN are providing the prevention and family support initiatives that the Childress Institute values.”
April is Child Abuse Prevention month and Exchange/SCAN club works hard all year to bring awareness to their communities through family support, counseling, and education. SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) is the Forsyth County member of the Exchange Club of North Carolina. SCAN is celebrating its 30th year of providing child abuse prevention and treatment services to 12 counties in Northwest North Carolina. The National Exchange Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary of serving communities throughout the United States.
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About the Armed Forces Foundation
The Armed Forces Foundation is dedicated to providing comfort and solace to members of the military community through financial support, career counseling, housing assistance and recreational therapy programs. We offer these vital programs to active-duty and retired personnel, National Guard, Reserve components, and their loved ones. For more information, please visit www.armedforcesfoundation.org.
About Exchange/SCAN
The Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Center of North Carolina, Inc was founded in October of 1981 following a Forsyth Co. N.C. taskforce discussion on needed prevention services to deal with rapidly increasing reports of child abuse and neglect. Today over thirty different services or support groups are used in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and over 10,000 individuals are served in 12 counties in Northwest North Carolina. The central Office for administering these programs is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. For more information, please visit www.exchangescan.org/.
About The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma
The Childress family founded the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in July 2008. Serious injury is the No. 1 killer of kids in America – more than 12,000 children die each year and more than 100,000 survive with some form of a disability. The Institute is working to save children’s lives and help them recover quickly through research, education and prevention. For more information, please visit www.ChildressPediatricTrauma.org.
