May 25, 2007
The XFUND held its first event at a Tower Terrace Suite on Thursday May 24th and it was a great success. The use of the suite was donated by Charlie Rodgers of DRI Management and other event sponsors were Avon Optical, Hendricks County Community Foundation, Money Mailer and North Salem State Bank. Thanks to the help of these sponsors, many people who are in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s joined together to enjoy the events of the track, tours of the pits and the garages, and also heard wonderful messages from 1998 Indianapolis 500 Champion Eddie Cheever and Mary Ann Miller who, along with the help of others, initiated the “Brian’s Wish” Fund at the Hendricks County Community Foundation.
The fund was initiated in order to fulfill the wishes of Mary Ann’s son, Brian Hall, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2003, to raise money to help researchers find a cure for the disease also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease. But as Mary Ann Miller explained, “this isn’t just Lou Gehrig’s disease, it’s anyone’s disease.” This group was also told that it doesn’t take large gifts to make a difference. Because of the $5 and $10 gifts that were given to the Brian’s Wish Fund, those gifts helped to collectively raise enough money to allow the fund to grant the Robert Packard Center of Johns Hopkins a $20,000 grant for research to find a cure for ALS and they hope to make another $20,000 grant this year. The event was a great way to gather not only to have fun but to also hear about the philanthropic endeavors of Eddie and Mary Ann. The two told amazing stories of how Brian’s love of racing brought them together and how they, among countless others, now continue to give life to Brian’s dream of helping to find a cure for ALS for others who will battle this deadly disease. Sadly, Brian lost his battle with ALS five years ago but his wish still lives on with the Brian’s Wish Fund.
Thanks to our sponsors and other generous donors, the XFUND already has over $3,700 in their fund of which a portion will be made available to make grants back into the Hendricks County area. The XFUND also will begin planning for their Launch Party, tentatively scheduled for the fall of ’07, which will be open to citizens of Hendricks County to gather together socially and to Forever Unite New Donors in Hendricks County.
The XFUND is still in the early stages of forming and wants to invite those interested in participating, either through committee work or their time, talent or treasure to contact Heather Lynch at the Hendricks County Community Foundation by phone (317)718-1200 or email heather@hendrickscountycf.org. This is an exciting new initiative that started in April 2007 and is giving those citizens of Hendricks County in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s a way to connect and work together to create larger, longer-lasting impact in their community. |
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