Mission Possible

5/8/2013 Joey Coulter, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM), will kick off a campaign today to raise $18,000 for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation by the final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. The Darrell Gwynn Foundation - which exists to provide awareness, prevention, support and ultimately a cure for paralysis - was launched in 2002 by former drag racer, Darrell Gwynn who was paralyzed in 1990 following a horrific crash that left him with a spinal cord injury at the age of 28. 

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is committed to build a better future for those with spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders through a national Wheelchair Donation Program that provides patients with paralysis the gift of mobility, freedom and the independence they deserve. The foundation also prides itself in reducing the number of spinal cord injuries that occur by educating teenagers through Education and Prevention Programs. 

Coulter will engage in many initiatives throughout the 2013 NCWTS season to raise money for this deserving cause:

•    Starting Monday, May 13 you can log on to JoeyCoulter.com to purchase a Darrell Gwynn Foundation T-shirt for only $18 and 100% of the sales will go directly to the DGF. 
•    With a passion for music, Coulter has teamed up with a local North Carolina band, Burning Bright, for a free concert Thursday, May 23 from 11-12 p.m. at Kyle Busch Motorsports around the team’s annual “Fan Day.” Burning Bright will sell their debut album, Beautiful Mess, at the KBM store on the day of the event and online through JoeyCoulter.com beginning May 13 for $12 and $2 from every album sold will go to the DGF.  
•    Following the concert, Coulter will host his 1st Annual Corn Hole Tournament at the KBM race shop in Mooresville, NC. Sign up on the day of the event by 11am or pre-register by emailing, 
    Jessica O’Brien at Jessica.Obrien@KyleBuschMotorsports.com. KBM drivers, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Erik Jones are scheduled to play along with Burning Bright Band lead singer, Marcus Ireland. The tournament will begin at Noon and the cost is $18 per person. Prizes will be awarded to 1st and 2nd-place finishers and each player entered will be registered to win a grand prize. 

“As a lot of people may know, I have always supported the Darrell Gwynn Foundation through racing since 2006,” said Joey. “Darrell and I met at the end of 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway during his charity fishing tournament, Hot Rods and Reels. My family and I were going to open a race team to compete in the Hooters Pro Cup Series and we were looking for a shop. Darrell mentioned that he still had his shop in Davie, FL and we could move in right away. The rest is history. Since then Darrell has been a great mentor to me and has been a huge part of my career moving up the racing ladder. His attitude towards just about everything is an inspiration to everyone around him and his drive to keep moving forward makes him a role model that I am proud to follow. I am very excited to start this initiative to raise $18,000 dollars by Homestead in November. The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is an absolutely amazing charity that changes people’s lives forever in a matter of seconds. I have been fortunate enough to give away six wheelchairs with Darrell in the past. The feeling of watching someone’s life change and watching them regain their independence is something that I will never be able to describe. Most of the chairs that DGF donates cost around $12,000 dollars. $18,000 would cover at least one chair but the more we can help the better. The great thing about DGF is that there are so many ways that anyone can help this cause. On his website there are a number of ways that you can donate and you can actually choose which piece of the wheelchair you want to buy! Join me this year in helping change someone’s life for the rest of their life. When you see someone receive one of these chairs it’s a feeling you will never forget.”

There’s an old saying in auto racing: “It’s not where you start, but where you finish.”  That’s also true of living life with a spinal cord injury.  The race to support people with paralysis and prevent spinal cord injuries is well underway. With continuing help, I am certain that race will be won. –Darrell Gwynn

Please give the gift of mobility and support Joey Coulter in his efforts to raise $18,000 for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation today by visiting www.JoeyCoulter.com. 

About the Darrell Gwynn Foundation:
Founded in 2002 by Champion Drag Racer Darrell Gwynn and his wife Lisa, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide AWARENESS, PREVENTION, SUPPORT and ultimately a CURE for paralysis. In an effort to create more awareness about spinal cord injuries, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation successfully lobbied for an established Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week with a resolution passed by the Florida Legislature in 2006. The foundation operates an Education & Prevention Program directed to high school students to educate them on the dangers of risky behavior that can lead to spinal cord injuries. This rapidly growing program reaches over 10,000 students annually at over 50 high schools. The foundation’s primary support program is its national Wheelchair Donation Program. With this program the Darrell Gwynn Foundation has donated custom built wheelchairs to hundreds of individuals in need. The foundation also maintains a model Patient Assitance Fund offering support services and tools at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado with aspirations to expand this model to several hospitals nationwide. The Patient Assistance Fund also supports the Betty Jane France Pediatric Center, at Halifax Hospital in Daytona, Fla. and Homestead Hospital in Homestead, Fla. Additionally the foundation provides financial support through its Fast Track Laboratory with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis aimed at finding a cure for paralysis. With tremendous fundraising partners such as Barrett-Jackson, the NHRA, NASCAR and many more generous sponsors, individual supporters and donors, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation continues to evolve as a leading foundation for those with spinal cord injuries. For more information please visit http://www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/darrellgwynnfoundation.