HARRISBURG, N.C. (June 1, 2016) – – JTG Daugherty Racing always looks for ways to give back to the community. In recent months, team owners Jodi & Tad Geschickter and their racing organization launched 47 Wishes, which empowers the No. 47 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team to bring forth ideas to assist individuals or families in the community. 47 Wishes can range from something small to something big.
“We are passionate about giving back to our community and it brings our team closer together,” said team owner Jodi Geschickter. “Mark Kelso has been instrumental in getting the 47 Wishes initiative off the ground and we are pleased to have helped in a small way. We’re trying to spread the word in our racing community about a little girl in need of our help.”
“47 Wishes is a wonderful way for us to give back,” JTG Daugherty Racing operations manager Mark Kelso said. “We granted our first wish to one of our team members by helping a family he heard about that needed help.”
On September 15, 2015, members of the JTG Daugherty Racing family learned of a one-year-old little girl named Emily Hinton from north Charlotte. Emily had been severely burned when a gas can exploded at her family home while she was playing in the backyard. The incident was so serious that Emily was placed in a medically induced coma and was on life support. Little Emily suffered third-degree burns over nearly 60 percent of her body. Eight months later, her road to recovery has been long and she has fought through difficult surgeries and months-long hospital stays. Emily still has a challenging road ahead of her and medical bills are mounting.
The team was able to provide some small relief, but it’s tiny in comparison to what the community and churches have done to help. Little Emily still has a long road ahead of her that includes additional surgeries. There is a GoFundMe account set up for her at www.gofundme.com/EmilyHintonFamily for anyone that would like to support Emily’s recovery.
“It has been a difficult road thus far for the Hinton family, but this is not so much a story about the accident, as it is a story about strength of family, faith, courage, and resiliency,” Kelso said. “When you meet Emily, you see a vibrant young two-year-old that has the tenacity to tackle every obstacle she will face. Emily, alongside her brother Elijah, will rely on the strength of character that her mom, dad, and medical team have displayed thus far in managing her recovery. The support of her extended family, her church community, her neighbors, and the #one47 team are part of the foundation upon which her recovery will be built. We are blessed to have been a small part of the effort to provide resources that will benefit Emily’s recovery both emotionally and physically.”
