Happy New Year

I hope 2010 has brought you lots of happiness thus far, and your new year's resolution is still as real as it was three weeks ago.

Speedway Children's Charities is excited for the New Year and has NASCAR Weekend on the brain.  It's hard to believe that it's only five weeks away.  There are lots of fun events lined up.  

On Thursday, February 25^th join us for the 12^th annual AutoTrader.com NASCAR Driver Auction presented by Boyd Gaming.  Here's your chance at a ride of a lifetime - bid for an opportunity to meet and ride along with your favorite driver on the pre-race parade lap.  Sam's Town Live! doors open at 5 p.m. and there will be an abundance of NASCAR memorabilia to bid on during the silent auction.  You will be entertained, no doubt. 

Shelby American ticket holders will walk where the rubber burns on Sunday, February 28^th during the annual Track Walk.  Race fans should register online now if they want to walk the 1.5 mile lap on the superspeedway.  For more details and information, visit the events tab on www.speedwaycharities.org. 

Thank you again for your continued support in the past.  We look forward to 2010 with everything that it promises to be and more.  Never hesitate to let us know your thoughts and something you'd like to see at a Speedway Children's Charities event.

Truly, 

Rachel Commeford
Director, Speedway Children's Charities
Las Vegas Chapter

Time to Reminisce

As we wrap up NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, I keep thinking about the amazing time I had this past week.

We kicked-off the weekend with the 6th Annual Cards for Kids Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament at the Cannery on Wednesday, October 28th. The event was very successful, and raised $3,000 more than last year! A lot of our good friends from drivers, to returning players, and NHRA fans joined us. Among the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series stars that played a hand or two were: Greg Anderson, "Fast Jack" Beckman, Brandon Bernstein, Gary Densham, Larry Dixon, Shawn Langdon, Jason Line, Morgan Lucas, Spencer Massey, Cory McClenathan, and Karen Stoffer. Thanks again to the Cannery, Coca-Cola, Nevada Beverage, Richard Petty Driving Experience, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway for sponsoring the event. Board Members and volunteers that were in attendance, I can't thank you enough. It's because of you the evening ran seamlessly.

On Friday, October 30th, 20 children from Boys and Girls Club, Candlelighters, Children's Heart Foundation, Culture Shock, East Valley Family Services, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, NV Childhood Cancer, SAFY, and Special Olympics Nevada joined Speedway Children's Charities for an inside look at "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The group of 2008 grant recipients began their day with a stroll though the pit area, where they met Ed "The Outlaw" Jones, who entertains drag racing fans across the country with his exhibition Jelly Belly sponsored stagecoach wheel stander. They also talked with A/Fuel Dragster driver Johnny Ahten, who is a fulltime firefighter in Southern California during the week. The kids ran into 18-year old Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Katie Sullivan. Then it was onto Thiel Motorsports pit area, where Top Alcohol Funny Care drivers Brian Thiel and Kenny Buzdas hosted a question and answer period. Being able to see the pit crew work on the car was awesome, but the kids loved the autograph session even more. The day wrapped with a walk to "The Strip" to watch NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing.

The weekend of fun maybe over, but the Las Vegas Chapter is still moving at full speed. The month of December is a busy, but exciting one for us:
Wednesday, December 2nd is the Chasers for Charity Roast
Saturday, December 5th is the WNFR Celebrity Bowling Tournament
Wednesday, December 9th is the Tree Lighting and Grant Distribution Ceremony.

Check out the Upcoming Events for more details!

Rachel Commeford
Director
Speedway Children's Charitie

Las Vegas Chapter has a new Director!

Hi everyone! My name is Rachel Commeford and I recently joined the LVMS staff as the new Director of Speedway Children's Charities.

I was born and raised in upstate New York in the small town of Elbridge - just outside of Syracuse. I attended Buffalo State College majoring in communications with an emphasis in broadcasting. Buffalo was far enough away from home, yet close enough if I needed a home cooked meal. After graduating, I realized that I didn't have to tolerate 120 inches of snow a year and I could work somewhere warm.

After moving to Las Vegas, I worked several different jobs in radio and print media. I landed a gig as fundraising manager for Special Olympics Nevada and at that very moment I realized event planning is not just event planning when it comes to the not-for-profit world. I always had a love for media, but when I started at Special Olympics, I knew I had found a passion something - a passion to do something worthwhile and help those in need. During my three years at Special Olympics Nevada, I gained a lot of experience that I am ready to put in to action at Speedway Children's Charities. The team at LVMS is fantastic, and we are eager to launch this into something excellent!

I look forward to seeing you at future events. Remember, seats are still available for the Sixth Annual "Cards for Kids" Poker Tournament at the Cannery Hotel & Casino on Wednesday, October 28th at 7 p.m. Register online or call 702-632-8242 for more details.

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Summer slow down gives time to plan

Hi everyone! It has been pretty busy here for the past few weeks as SCC Las Vegas quickly approaches its 2009 grant application deadline.

We have already had several local organizations' applications come in and are very excited to start the process in August!

Because the middle of summer is our slow time as far as events go, the board won't be having our usual monthly meeting, but we are always in the process of brainstorming for new and exciting fundraising ideas! The city of Las Vegas has so many great opportunities and we are working closely with a lot of local organizations and companies to continue our charity's growth in the city. The ‘Dancing with the Las Vegas Stars' competition and fundraisers started by local drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have both been great new contributors to our fundraising efforts here.

Even though December seems so far away when you're in this 110-degree heat here in the Valley, we're already getting prepared for our second annual WNFR Celebrity Bowling Tournament, benefiting Speedway Children's Charities and the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, Dec. 5. Last year's event was such a huge success that this year, we're planning on making it bigger and better. Belt buckles from Montana Silversmiths are ordered, team spaces are already being reserved and we could not be more excited! We're working on booking some of the top stars from the WNRF as well as other celebrity participants for the event and we'll be posting more information in the next few weeks.

Keep checking back to the Las Vegas Chapter Chatter to find out more information about all of our upcoming events. It's going to start getting busy with all of our fall events in the next few weeks which means more updates for you!

Also, don't forget to follow SCC Las Vegas on Twitter and Facebook! Become a fan today!

Aubrey Hall
Public Relations Coordinator
Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Getting to Know You

I've thought long and hard about a blog for our website and have drawn a blank. Our events have wrapped up for the time being and we're currently working in small ways to raise additional funds to finish out our fiscal year.

 We're hoping a couple ideas come to be and we have an extra event before the end of September, but we aren't sure.

So, what to write about. Starting with this blog and continuing on through the coming weeks, I have decided to spotlight those involved in the Las Vegas Chapter of SCC- let you learn a little more about the individuals who give of their time to help us succeed.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any bio/blogs in time for deadline- which I missed anyway- so I guess I'll start with myself and follow up with board members, volunteers, donors, etc.

I was born and raised in the small Kansas town of Pratt- I will always consider myself a small town girl, no matter where I live. I have one sister, Katie (who I talk to almost every day) and a mess of cousins- we're all very close and keep in touch often. I have been married to Mark for 7 years now, and as I have mentioned in previous blogs, I have an 18 month-old son, Logan. Rounding out my little family is my grumpy cat Stormy and my overly energetic puppy, Mack.

I am a big sports fan- baseball, basketball, football- you name it, I'll watch it! While I did not attend the University of Kansas, I am a big Jayhawk supporter and consider them my team. (I graduated from Fort Hays State University and am a very proud Tiger as well). Even though I'm 29, I'm a long suffering Kansas City Royals fan and am devoted to my team no matter how awful they are- but it makes those good runs a lot of fun to be a part of. I'm also a big Kansas City Chiefs fan and am looking forward to a great season with our new quarterback, head coach and general manager.... they can't get much worse, so it has to be a good year! It's a well known fact at Las Vegas Motor Speedway who I cheer for so I usually catch the comments when my team is doing terrible- especially from the strange over-abundance of Red Sox fans here at LVMS. I love my teams though and stand behind them to a fault. I learned that loyalty from my dad who taught me about sports and a love for each game. It is a dream of mine to see a baseball game in every ballpark, although I'm a LONG way from seeing that dream become reality....maybe someday.

I am big fan of music and love going to concerts- music is a very important part of my family. I love to sing and can play the trumpet and french horn- and I'm learning to play the guitar; and Mark sings and plays the drums. Logan is already impressing us with his drumming ability and loves to sing in the car. We enjoy all types of music- my MP3 player is full of random song choices and genres- and it keeps things fun! I'm also an avid reader, although for a while life got in the way and I didn't pick up a book for a long time. Recently though, reading has again become a major part of my life and I'm really enjoying the time to relax and lose myself in a book.

This small town girl never saw herself living in a big city, let alone Vegas. But, I've been here for 5 years and it has become home. A part of me will always consider Kansas home- and I'll always be a Kansas girl at heart- but I guess the title of Vegas local suits me just fine too......


Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities

Wow- have I been in Las Vegas for 5 years now?!?

I can hardly believe it but it's true. June 7 will be the 5 year anniversary of our arrival in Las Vegas and my first day as an intern at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The internship was only supposed to last one year and then we'd been heading back home to Kansas to find work. Funny how things work out...

My family wasn't real keen on the idea of us moving to Vegas at first, but slowly became more accepting of the idea knowing it would only be a year. In fact, I was so sure we'd only be here a short time that I never became a Nevada resident. Well- five years, one house, one child and a dog later we're still in Vegas and I'm officially a resident of Nevada. I miss home- I probably always will. I'm a Kansas girl at heart- I love my Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. Open wheel driver Jimmy Vasser told me while I was an intern that you have to live in Vegas for 7 years before you can call yourself a "local", so I guess I have a couple more years before I will start to call Vegas home.

Our golf tournament is on Monday and we're getting excited. We have a good group of golfers signed up and are happy with the numbers we are expecting. We only need to hope that the weather cooperates- it tends to be the hottest day of the year each year on the day of our tournament. The golf tournament is one of my favorite events each year and I look forward to seeing the groups and individuals who participate each year. It's their support that keeps the Las Vegas chapter moving in the direction we strive to move- to continue helping children and improving the quality of life for those who are unable to help themselves.

Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities

We've gone social...

It seems like everyone has gone social. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger- the world has gone social networking nuts.

It's rare nowadays to find someone who doesn't have a profile or page with a social networking site- unless you are deep within the confines of my family and then it's rare to find someone who has heard of these sites. My mom can't figure out how I know more about what is going on back in the state of Kansas than she knows..... I just tell her it's on Facebook!

A cousin of mine works in public affairs at the Pentagon, and I really enjoy reading his facebook and twitter updates about how the military is using these social networking sites and also how they are benefiting from them. So hey- if the military can do it- why can't we?

Yesterday, the Las Vegas Chapter launched our new Facebook page and Twitter.... ummm.... tweet. I can't think of a better way to connect with the Las Vegas community, the racing community, and the nation as a whole than utilizing these digital tools that are at our fingertips. The National office launched a Facebook group a few months back and I was amazed at the reach we had in getting our information out to the public. So why, then, do another Facebook page? Our chapter wanted to be able to also target our local community with our events, updates, breaking news, etc.- going right at those who are benefiting from the work we do as well as help us positively impact so many lives.

The phenomena that is Twitter is so hard to explain to those who aren't familiar with it. I had wrestled with the idea of having a Twitter for the charity, not sure how many people would follow us or what we would gain from using the site. Well, in just 24 hours of using Twitter, we have been contacted by a few companies wanting more information about our organization and have also been able to get some additional information about our upcoming events to interested people. It's a direct line of communication to those who want to know- it's short, simple- to the point. Will we be monetarily impacted? Only time will tell. But currently, there are 25 people/companies/groups that now know or are more aware that Speedway Children's Charities exists and we can effectively spread our message and mission statement.

Want to join us?
twitter.com/SCCLV
or
Speedway Children's Charities-Las Vegas on Facebook

We'll see you in the social networking universe....

Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities

Downtime

Things have calmed down quite a bit around the office, and even though we have another event coming up in about 6 weeks, I'm really enjoying the chance I have had to relax and breathe.

A couple weekend get-a-ways are on tap for the Melvin family during the month of May, including a short vacation back to Kansas for my brother-in-law Andrew's wedding at the end of the month. Logan is the ringbearer, and while I'm convinced he's going to be adorable in his tux I'm not as confident about how he'll do in an official capacity. Walking down an aisle, carrying a pillow and smiling is a lot to ask of a little guy who can't sit still for more than 5 seconds at a time and drags our cat around by the tail until she smacks him. Either way, we are really looking forward to some much needed family time.

Along with the relaxing, I have taken advantage of the downtime to brainstorm on some new fundraisers for SCC. Our board chairman Steve Peck has implemented some round table discussions for the board of trustees, and so far, they have been very successful. Steve wanted to give the board a chance to sit down in a very relaxed setting and throw around ideas for possible new fundraisers. We have identified close to 20 new fundraisers that have the possibility of making it farther than being an idea on a piece of paper, and probably 5 that we have already begun sending proposals out to possible sponsors and partners. I am really excited about a couple of them and think they could grow into annual events- once we get the first one under our belt. The really fun thing about these events is they are very different from anything else we have done here at SCC and in Las Vegas. We haven't found any other charities hosting events like these in town, so we hope that we are on to something big.

Are you curious yet about our ideas???? You'll have to check back often to see what develops from our new events.

Don't forget- we can always use donations and sponsorships- contact me for more information. We are also always in need of good volunteers, so if interested please fill out the form on the volunteers page and I'll add you to our list.

Now I'm off to a board meeting......

Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities

Time to reflect

And we land with a thud. After almost 7 months of going non-stop and hosting 6 events, the Las Vegas Chapter is finally able to take a step back and look at what we have accomplished.

 It has been a whirlwind, but it has been fun and we have raised a lot of money for the children of Las Vegas. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned about the economic impact on our organization back in October when our fiscal year began. But, I'm pleasantly optimistic about what I am seeing here in Las Vegas. While charitable giving across the nation is down approximately 40%, we have seen compassion continue from companies and individuals right here in the Valley. People are still supporting charitable causes in town and it's very encouraging to see. We are a resilient people and I truly believe we will fight our way past the struggles and come out much stronger than we were before.

On April 1 we held a fabulous event at the Bellagio, our Mel Larson Night of Champions, presented by Autotrader.com. Speedway Children's Charities honored automotive legend Carroll Shelby for his contributions to the Las Vegas community as well as local racing. The evening was full of some of the top names in racing, including John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and NHRA track announcer Bob Frey. Approximately 400 people joined in the evening's festivities.

We are very fortunate to be able to work along side so many wonderful individuals in the automotive community and once again, those associate with the NHRA did not disappoint. Besides giving us some incredible racing at the track that weekend, the drivers were very gracious with their time during the Mel Larson Night of Champions, presented by Autotrader.com. They also signed memorabilia for us to use in future fundraisers, so keep your eyes out for some upcoming auctions and events!

I took some time over the NHRA race weekend to touch base with our NHRA drivers/poker players and they all assured me they'd be back at the tables for the 2009 event- if you play poker and you like drag racing, you don't want to miss this!!

On a personal note, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Holly Faulkner. I was unaware of her sudden illness and passing in December until I traveled to the Oakley souvenir trailer during NHRA to visit her and her husband Donnie. Holly was a bright, vibrant woman who was taken from this world far too soon. Holly and Donnie were blessed with their first child back in 2008 and I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Emma during the October 2008 race weekend. My prayers are with Donnie and Emma and their entire family. Anyone who knew Holly knew what a wonderful human being she was and that we were all better people for knowing her. I know she's looking down on us cradling Eric and smiling.

Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities

Another busy week as NHRA comes to town

Things are moving at a feverish pace here in Las Vegas getting ready for the upcoming Mel Larson Night of Champions and the NHRA spring event next week.

It seems like just when we're going to get a chance to take a deep breath and relax, things start rolling fast again. We are really excited about this year's Night of Champions- it's not very often you get the chance to meet and honor a legend. And Carroll Shelby epitomizes the word "Legend"!

On April 1, we'll be honoring Mr. Shelby at the Bellagio for the impact he has made on the automotive world, as well as the local Las Vegas community. And, as if things couldn't get any more exciting, NHRA Full Throttle champion John Force is our keynote speaker for evening. The Bellagio is a gorgeous venue to hold this event and there isn't a part of the evening that won't be top-notch!

Once this event is over, we have a little bit of a breather break. The excitment tones down just a touch, but we will continue to look for ways to push forward our mission statement and make an even larger impact on the lives of children in Las Vegas.

Janae Melvin
Director
Las Vegas Chapter