On the Road Again: Austin Hatcher Foundation Schedules Activities Around IMSA Event at Road America
Austin Hatcher Foundation Schedules Activities Around IMSA Event at Road America
- Wednesday Diversionary Therapy Visit Set for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
- Three Fundraising Auctions to be Held At-Track
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (July 31, 2018) – For the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, an annual highlight of its long-running affiliation with motorsports is the week that’s upon us – the International Motor Sports Association’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at the legendary Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The foundation serves as an official “Proud Charity” of IMSA and that status is always on full display at Road America, the 4.048-mile road racing facility that opened in 1955 and has become an icon in sports car competition, combining speed, scenery and ambiance. The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase is the ninth event of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – North America’s premier sports car series.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation will be immersed in that scene this weekend, with a variety of auction opportunities for fans to benefit the foundation mission of erasing the effects of pediatric cancer on young patients and their family members.
The auction rundown:
- On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a larger Silent Auction of race-related memorabilia will be ongoing at the NE corner of Grass Island 1.
- On Sunday, from 11:15-11:45 a.m., Action Express – one of IMSA’s premier teams – will host a live auction of memorabilia at their team transporter in the IMS paddock area.
In addition to the at-track visibility, on Thursday the Austin Hatcher Foundation will be doing important work as it brings its acclaimed Diversionary Therapy program to young cancer patients at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. Foundation staff will combine efforts with hospital staff to create an afternoon of specialized activities designed to offer a needed respite from the daily challenges of a fight against cancer. One of those activities is the building and racing of miniature Pinewood Derby cars, a byproduct of the foundation’s affiliations with the motorsports and automotive industries.
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has been ranked among the nation’s best hospitals in eight specialties, by the 2018-19 Best Children’s Hospitals Report compiled by U.S. News & World Report.
“This is a big week and one we especially look forward to,” said Austin Hatcher Foundation President Amy Jo Osborn. “Road America is a showcase for auto racing and it always gives us a prime chance to increase visibility and awareness of our cause. Special thanks go out to our dear friends at Action Express and Cadillac for their support during the race weekend.
“We also are pleased to work with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, one of nation’s premier health-care facilities. It all adds to one of the most significant weeks on the foundation’s 2018 calendar.”
