The Ryan Newman Foundation

(CONCORD, NC, JULY 15, 2008)— Two NASCAR drivers are taking steps to help communities prepare people and pets for a disaster. The Ryan Newman Foundation and Regan Smith Racing are co-sponsoring the American Humane Association’s Animal Emergency Services Volunteer Workshop, which is presented by the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Alliance of Charlotte, NC. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 19-20, 2008 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.

The workshop is open to anyone interested in the welfare of animals following a disaster, professionals trained in disaster response, EMS personnel, firefighters, animal shelter staff, animal control officers, veterinarians and vet techs, and animal handlers and trainers. This training is a first step to becoming an American Humane volunteer to respond at the national level.

The workshop will teach attendees how to manage large and small animals, coordination of animal shelters and emergency response with the existing national disaster response system, interagency cooperation, animal First Aid techniques, personal safety in an emergency, and media relations.  Thanks to sponsorship from the Ryan Newman Foundation and Regan Smith Racing, the registration fee has been cut in half to make the workshop affordable for those interested in attending. The fee is $35 for American Humane members and
$50 for non-members. Training materials will be provided. A certificate will be presented upon completion of the workshop.

For more information and to register online, go to the Red Star Emergency Services website at
www.americanhumane.org/aestraining or email
aestraining@americanhumane.org or call 303-925-9461.

Directions: Visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com for driving directions (signs will direct you where to park). For those using GPS, the address of the speedway is 555 Concord Parkway South, Concord, NC 28027.

Krissie Newman says, “In 2005 the Ryan Newman Foundation partnered with several organizations to donate supplies and grants to Hurricane Katrina families with pets and pet rescue agencies in the Gulf Coast. I volunteered for a week down there with Rosalie De Fini, our foundation director, and Michelle Croom with
Ryan Newman Motorsports. That is where we met Lee Smith, who is Regan Smith’s mom. Our two NASCAR families have worked together very closely for animal welfare ever since. Being so involved in helping out after the Katrina disaster made Lee and I realize how important training is before a disaster happens. Lee
has even traveled the country taking disaster trainings and is certified nationally.”

“I’m very passionate about pet rescue after disasters, and I realize just how important these trainings are,” says Lee Smith. “Once I started volunteering during disasters I began to realize how terrible our pet overpopulation problem is. Disaster relief would be less of a disaster if we reduced the number of homeless pets out there. That’s why the spay/neuter clinics that the Newmans support are so important.

Donations to the Ryan Newman Foundation can be made online or mailed to:
Rosalie De Fini
Executive Director
Ryan Newman Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 5998
Statesville, NC 28687
The Ryan Newman Foundation is not accepting unsolicited grant proposals at this time. Please continue to check back for updated information on our grant making program. The Ryan Newman Foundation is unable to make grants directly to individuals or families. Please read the Autograph Policy if you have an autograph request. Thank you.