Backseat Blonde - Hendrick Marrow Program Offers Fans a Way to Pay Respects

October 25, 2004

Hendrick Marrow Program Offers Fans a Way to Pay
Respects
By Allison Wagda

For the last five hours, I’ve been staring at my computer
screen trying to find words to properly acknowledge the
tragedy that befell the NASCAR nation yesterday.

I’ve surfed just about every website to learn more details
in order to write the most accurate column possible. I’ve
scoured message boards and read the outpouring of emotion from fans around the
world.

And yet, I still can’t make sense of such a senseless accident.

All the condolences in the world cannot change the impact of yesterday’s events on
Rick Hendrick. One man lost his son. His brother. His nieces. Plus almost the entire
executive team at his company.

The misty morning that dawned over the Blue Ridge Mountains yesterday will change
everything for him.

And so, rather than wax on about how this will affect the tenor of the season (it will),
or if NASCAR’s famously loyal fans will once again be drawn together in grief (they
will), or what this will mean for the championship chasers (a great deal), or any
number of other compelling stories that will emerge from this event, I would like to
offer fans a way to show support for the Hendrick organization.

In 1997, Rick Hendrick founded the Hendrick Marrow program, a year after being
diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, the program has raised over $3 million to help
fund donor recruitment efforts and provide financial assistance to those in need of
blood stem cell transplants.

Fans have two options to contribute. Visit the Hendrick Marrow Web site (www.
hendrickmarrow.com) to find out how to become part of a national registry of donors
(especially helpful if you are a minority ethnicity). Or, it is easy to donate over the
Internet by credit card (secured by Verisign). Either way, fans can make a meaningful
gesture without imposing upon the grief of those close to the company or the family.

In the coming days, Hendrick Motorsports may offer an alternative way for fans to pay
respects. In the meantime, we can do a world of good during a time of sorrow.

Visit www.hendrickmarrow.com for details.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of everyone aboard.

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