Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson has written his name all over the record books since his introduction to NASCAR racing in 2002. But Johnson, and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet, has made a much larger impact off the racetrack.
Johnson and his wife, Chandra, launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in 2006 -- a charitable foundation that is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. The foundation currently focuses on funding K-12 public education, primarily through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe's Toolbox for Education Champions Grants program and have awarded to 53 grants to schools located in California, Oklahoma and North Carolina, where the Johnsons grew up and currently reside. In addition, the foundation selects 12 charities each year to receive a $10,000 grant and a featured logo spot on Johnson's Helmet of Hope worn in a Sprint Cup Series race. Other foundation partnerships include the San Diego Habitat for Humanity and Jimmie Johnson's Victory Lanes, a four lane bowling center for campers at Pattie and Kyle Petty's Victory Junction in Randleman, N.C. The foundation also continues to work with the Hendrick Marrow Program, Make-A-Wish and the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.
Additionally, in support of Samsung's Hope for Children program, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation annually partners with Samsung and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse through a national consumer contest called Team Up for Technology, where one lucky K-12 U.S. school is awarded a $48,000 technology makeover consisting of cash and Samsung products. Due to the amazing response and program success in 2011, the Team Up for Technology contest will take place again September 12 to October 1, 2012. For more information about the contest and to enter your school to win, visit JimmieJohnsonFoundation.org.
