The NASCAR Foundation announced Molly Moran of Walpole, Mass. as the winner of the 13th annual Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award during Thursday’s NASCAR Awards in Nashville, Tenn. As the award winner, Moran secured a $100,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation to Comfort Zone Camp, a bereavement organization that transforms the lives of children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver, or significant person.
“It means the world to win the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and to be able to help more kids go to camp and realize they are not alone in their grief,” said Molly Moran. “To be able to win a $100,000 donation to Comfort Zone Camp and to send 200 more kids to camp. We are so grateful to The NASCAR Foundation and the France family for this award.”
Moran began volunteering after her mother and grandmother passed away from cancer. She serves as a mentor for grieving children during camp weekends, attends community events to advocate for grieving children, trains volunteers and organizes fundraising events.
Moran earned the most online votes from a pool of nominees, including Darla Crown of Youth & Family Services in South Dakota, Jennifer Gage of GiGi’s Playhouse in Arizona and Sandy Stanley of City of Refuge in Georgia. Together, the group of finalists have impacted more than 40,000 children through their 56 combined years of service. Each of these organizations has earned a $25,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation in recognition of their nominated volunteers’ achievements.
“Molly’s work with grieving children is difficult but important. The relationships she builds with the campers at Comfort Zone Camp help them through the challenging time of losing a loved one,” said Nichole Krieger, The NASCAR Foundation Vice President and Executive Director. “The $100,000 will help them expand their efforts into even more communities.”
Aside from her work with children, Moran has been a fan of NASCAR for 30 years after being introduced to the sport by her family.
In its 13 years, The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award has recognized 52 NASCAR fans who are dedicated volunteers working for children’s causes in communities nationwide. More than 515,000 children’s lives have been affected by the program with $2.335 million contributed to children’s charities.
To learn more about The NASCAR Foundation’s programs, including the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award and Speediatrics Children’s Fund, please visit www.NASCARfoundation.org.
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