A hero may mean different things to different people. Some people may believe a hero needs to be someone who possesses superpowers or who saves the world such as Superman. Others may believe a hero is someone who does something for someone else and will put themselves before anything else such as a parent or a friend would do. Some people might even believe that a hero is someone who teaches a lesson like a teacher does in a classroom. Some individuals may argue that a hero had to do something important such as save someone’s life like a firefighter, though that may not always be the case. Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, may have never saved someone’s life personally, but he is saving thousands of lives every day through his charities and sponsorships.
NASCAR’s “Wonder Boy”, a nickname Gordon was given by the late Dale Earnhardt his rookie season, started his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career back in 1993. He has made an appearance in Victory Lane a total of eighty-three times in those eighteen seasons. Aside from racing, however, Gordon is very involved with numerous charities and organizations. The Vallejo, California, native is very involved with finding cures for different types of cancer, especially pediatric cancer. He has seen firsthand from his own personally experiences what cancer can do to an individual and the loved ones around them. His car owner, Rick Hendrick, and the son of his former crew chief, Ray Evernham, both were diagnosed with Leukemia (both have been in remission now for a number of years). After they became parents in June 2007, Gordon and his model wife, Ingrid Vandeboush, have also became major contributors to a campaign helping to prevent and educate parents on the effects of Pertussis or whooping cough. In addition, in 2010, Gordon signed a multi-year sponsorship deal for a number of races with an AARP organization starting for the 2011 NASCAR season to help provide meals for senior citizens who cannot afford to buy meals for themselves (Newton 1).
Jeff Gordon wanted to start a foundation in 1992 when Ray Evernham’s son, Ray J, was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of one year. Gordon founded the Jeff Gordon Foundation in 1999. His goal was, and still is, to provide treatment for children with pediatric cancer whose parents cannot afford to pay. The foundation’s mission statement reads:
“The mission of the Jeff Gordon Foundation is to support children battling cancer by funding programs that improve patients’ quality of life, treatment programs that increase survivorship and pediatric medical research dedicated to finding a cure (Jeff 1).”
In 2011, the foundation exceeded one million dollars in donations for finding cures for pediatric cancers (Children’s 1). He opened the Jeff Gordon’s Children Hospital, located in Concord, North Carolina in 2007. In order to raise money for the foundation, Gordon has a yearly raffle where he will give away a brand new Corvette. Tickets for this raffle are one hundred dollars. Gordon and his foundation also are involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation which tries to provide children with a chance to have one of their wishes come true. He is one of only four celebrities to grant over two hundred wishes. He has also recently been honored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the number one celebrity wish granter in the history of the organization (About1). Sometimes Gordon will actually bring a child to the racetrack to spend an entire weekend with him and his team. The Jeff Gordon Foundation also works with the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, and the National Marrow Foundation. These programs help to find a bone marrow or blood cord donor match for people who need one. Gordon recently went to Capitol Hill to make sure these programs continue to receive support.
The father of two and his wife have teamed up with the March of Dimes and their “Sounds of Pertussis” campaign. This campaign urges new parents to get the Pertussis booster shot to prevent their newborn infants from contracting whooping cough. Whooping cough, also known as Pertussis, is a bacterial disease caused by the Bordetella Pertussis bacteria that can be passed to an infant from an adult (Racing 1). Though it is not usually thought to be fatal to adults, this contagious disease can cause a baby to be admitted to the hospital or even be deadly to the baby as a result. Gordon was not aware of the affects of whooping cough when his daughter, Ella, was born three years ago. He has said many times that he was shocked that he could have given this to her. He got his Pertussis vaccination before his son, Leo, arrived last August. His wife, Ingrid, got her vaccination shortly after she had given birth to Leo as well. Both Gordon and Vandeboush urge parents and anyone else who may come in contact with infants, to get the booster to keep their children safe and healthy. Gordon even has a playlist people may download on iTunes. Five percent of each song purchased will go toward the “Sounds of Pertussis” campaign (Whooping 1).
Jeff Gordon signed a sponsorship deal at the end of the 2010 NASCAR season with the American Association of Retired Persons or AARP and the Drive to End Hunger. The AARP’s goal is to help provide food, housing, income and isolation to senior citizens. The programs are paid for by contributions that are tax-deductible, grants and the AARP (Drive 1). They will be the primary sponsor for twenty-two races a season for the next three years. The Drive to End Hunger’s goal is to supply senior citizens fifty years ond over with meals every day. Every dollar spent can feed seven senior citizens a day. After Gordon’s win in Phoenix in back March, the Drive to End Hunger donated $10,000 to a local food bank located there. That $10,000 would feed 70,000 hungry seniors (Drive 1).
Jeff Gordon tries to help people in every way he can. He races every week and when he is in the car, he is only focused on the task at hand. When he is not at the track racing, he is spending time with his family and visiting the children at the Jeff Gordon’s Children Hospital. Gordon even takes time to do contests on his Twitter and Facebook accounts so that his fans know how much he appreciates them. He has helped many people to have their dreams come true.
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