Hope For The Warriors® “Drive For Hope” Celebrates a Successful First Season in NASCAR

Hope For The Warriors is spending this winter celebrating a successful year for their “Drive For Hope” program. With the support of NASCAR, the organization kicked off the Drive For Hope in February at the Daytona 500 and culminated the year at the Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas earlier this month. Supporting their mission to restore hope for service members, veterans and military families, the Drive For Hope reached both active duty service members and veterans while enabling Hope For The Warriors to bring more than 200 individuals to NASCAR events across the country.

 

“Thanks to the support of NASCAR, the drivers, teams and owners, the Drive For Hope Program was able to expand into more than we ever expected,” said Travis Hanson, Hope For The Warriors, Senior Director of Sports and Recreation. “It’s by far the most impactful program that Hope For The Warriors has that joins service members with the professional sports world. We’re able to offer service members a window into the NASCAR operations from top to bottom, so it’s more than just a weekend at the track. At every event, various drivers and team owners have made time to spend with the service members. It’s a tribute to how much they care about our military and that they believe in the future of our service members, regardless of injury.” 

 Evolving from a grass roots effort that was initially activated at late model racing events, the Drive For Hope program grew significantly in 2015. After an introduction to Ryan Newman nearly three years ago, the program advanced to what it is today to include support from NASCAR that enabled Hope For The Warriors to bring service members, veterans and military families to NASCAR races. This year’s Drive For Hope program brought guests to 24 NASCAR events, including the sport’s most iconic races and the Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas. Active duty service members, veterans and military families from all branches of the U.S. Military were included in the Drive For Hope, which drew individuals from local military bases and organizations near each racing venue.

 

“The Drive for Hope is a remarkable life changing experience,” said Ryan Harshman (SSgt USMC Ret). “Building camaraderie and self confidence has not only been a possibility, but this program has made it a reality. Being able to reinforce positivity into family and self is a phenomenal feeling. Everyone leaves the track with that feeling through the Drive For Hope.” 

 
Continuing Hope For The Warriors’ mission to restore hope, the Drive For Hope program specifically targeted service members in transition, and introduced these individuals to prospective career opportunities as they worked to navigate the transition to civilian life. Utilizing NASCAR racing as a central theme, the program connected service members and veterans with professionals in the fields of logistics, facilities management, mechanics, transportation, sports promotions and marketing, event planning and more.

 

Hope For The Warriors is already planning their 2016 Drive For Hope activation, which will kick off at the Daytona 500 in February. To learn more about Hope For The Warriors, or to make a contribution to support the Drive For Hope and several other great programs offered by the organization, visit HopeForTheWarriors.org. Gifts may be made online, by phone at 877-246-7349, or by mail to 5101C Backlick Road, Annandale, VA 22003. Text the word WARRIORS to 20222 to donate. 

Hope for Warriors PR