NASCAR Foundation's Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner announced in Daytona Beach
DAYTONA BEACH — A co-founder of an organization dedicated to eliminating sudden cardiac arrest in young people was honored with The NASCAR Foundation’s 2022 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award at a Thursday ceremony at the International Motorsports Center.
The award winner, Ralph Maccarone, of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, is the co-founder of Who We Play For, a nationwide organization that he started more than a decade ago after losing his 15-year-old son to sudden cardiac arrest during a soccer practice in Cocoa Beach.
Who We Play For strives to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac arrest through affordable heart screenings. As part of the award, The NASCAR Foundation is donating $100,000 to the organization.
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Over the last 10 years, Who We Play For has completed more than 200,000 heart screenings in seven states in an effort to uncover heart conditions that would go undetected in a traditional sports physical. From those screenings, they have identified more than 200 students who required surgical intervention.
“Ralph has dedicated his life to ensuring young people receive the proper screenings that could one day save their lives,” said Nichole Krieger, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation.
“He has spent countless hours volunteering at screenings, fundraising and advocating for change as Who We Play For has grown into a national organization that’s reaching more communities each year,” she said. “His work and the work of all of our finalists exemplify the lasting legacy of Betty Jane France and the countless number of children The NASCAR Foundation continues to impact.”
Other finalists also recognized
The ceremony also recognized three additional finalists who vied for online votes for the annual award, now in its 12th year.
They are Dan Majetich of Nick and Kelly Children’s Heart Fund; Tammy Garrett of Rapahope Children’s Retreat Foundation of Alabama; and Tracy Williams of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation. Each of those organizations received a $25,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation in recognition of their nominated volunteers’ achievements.
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It’s a milestone year for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award as The NASCAR Foundation has now surpassed $2 million contributed to children’s charities through the award program. In all, the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award has recognized 48 dedicated volunteers working for children’s causes in communities nationwide affecting more than 475,000 children’s lives.
The award is named after the late Betty Jane France, who was married to Bill France Sr., NASCAR’s iconic longtime leader.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Colorado nonprofit Who We Play For receives $100K from NASCAR Foundation
