Michigan International Speedway, MIS Cares and Americrown made a difference in the lives of many across the Irish Hills area in 2017. And the giving does not stop when the calendar turned to 2018.
MIS and its sister company Americrown combined to donate a total of $907,587 to local service groups and organizations through cash donations, in-kind donations, work programs, grants and sponsorships, as well as tickets and merchandise that clubs raffled to raise money.
“It is important to always find ways to give back to the local community we are proud to live in,” track President Rick Brenner said. “We are proud of how much we were able to give back and how many organizations we helped in 2017. We have big plans for 2018 and are excited to continue to make a difference.”
MIS Cares will award at least 10 scholarships as part of an ongoing initiative to promote learning among students at all educational levels in 2018. The scholarship is open to any graduating senior in Jackson or Lenawee County who is entering a STEAM-related (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) field at a college, university or trade school in the state of Michigan.
All eligible students can download the official application at www.mispeedway.com/scholarship. Completed applications need to be mailed to MIS Cares, attention Scholarship Committee or emailed to [email protected]. The deadline is February 23, 2018.
MIS Cares, the speedway’s charity arm, awarded $75,007 in grants to 16 deserving organizations to improve the local communities. All of these deserving recipients share the MIS Cares mission to assist and inspire youth in Jackson and Lenawee counties.
Recipients include:
· Brooklyn Food Pantry – Forgotten Teens
· Concord Food for Thought – Weekend Backpack Program
· Felician Children’s Center – Active Bodies, Healthy Minds
· Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County – The Great Pasty Project
· Imagine Planet – Imagine Planet Operating Expenses
· Jackson District Library – Brooklyn Branch – Coding Kids
· Jackson Symphony Orchestra – Music Enrichment for Lily Missions Center
· Jasmynn’s Voice – Helping others find their voice, one iPad at a time
· Junior Achievement of the Michigan Edge, Inc. – JA “Career Success”
· Lenawee Community Foundation – Lenawee Imagination Library
· Onsted Elementary – Wildcat Maker Space
· The Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee – My.Future
· Therapeutic Riding, Inc. – Adopt a Horse
· YMCA of Lenawee County – Maple Pride Afterschool Program
· YMCA Storer Camps – Camp Catch-A-Rainbow
· Adrian College – Track and Explore
In December, MIS Cares awarded Holiday Mini-Grants to 13 schools in Lenawee and Jackson Counties. The requested money is earmarked for technology items to be utilized in the school’s media center or library. The winning schools included:
· Northwest Elementary School
· Madison School
· Hanover Horton Middle/High School
· Onsted Middle School
· St. Mary Star of the Sea Elementary
· St. John Elementary School
· Tecumseh South Early Learning Center
· Northwest Early Elementary School
· Onsted High School
· Lenawee Christian School
· Hudson Middle / High School
· Onsted Elementary School
· Michener School
Michigan International Speedway, on behalf of Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford, donated $40,000 to Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) as part of the speedway’s Michigan Heritage trophy. The trophy is a recognition and celebration of the automobile and its importance to the race track and the manufacturers competing in NASCAR. As part of the Michigan Heritage, each contending manufacturer and MIS annually commit $10,000 to be given to a youth-focused and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related charity in Michigan.
The track held its ninth annual MIS Cares Charity Track and Toy Drive on Dec. 2. Guests took a lap in their personal automobile around the track in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy or a bag of nonperishable food. Thanks to the generous support of the community, the track filled two 16-passenger vans with food for the Brooklyn Food Pantry in Brooklyn, Michigan and the St. Mary’s of Good Counsel Food Pantry in Adrian, Michigan. In addition enough toys were collected to fill two box trucks for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots in both Jackson and Lenawee Counties.
The speedway staff continued to spread the holiday spirit during the month of December by adopting a family of seven through the Salvation Army of Jackson. The family received bikes, toys, clothing, hygiene products, Christmas dinner and so much more to make this holiday season one to remember. Additionally, on December 13, a group of 16 MIS staff members spread throughout four local nonprofit agencies in Jackson and Lenawee Counties. The teams did a variety of activities from stocking shelves to cleaning to playing with the children at The Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee County, Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County, Cascades Humane Society and The Salvation Army of Jackson. In addition, each organization was surprised with a check for $250.
MIS Cares is a donor advised fund of the NASCAR Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity. MIS Cares’ mission is to assist and inspire youth within our community.
Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest racetrack. It has been the love of NASCAR racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike for nearly 50 years.
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2018 Michigan International Speedway Schedule
Friday, June 8 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
Saturday, June 9 NASCAR XFINITY Series LTi Printing 250
Sunday, June 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400
Friday, Aug. 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice and Qualifying
Saturday, Aug. 11 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Sunday, Aug. 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
MIS PR
