NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson gives away his helmet to charity
Jimmie Johnson has inspired millions with long history of big wins in the NASCAR arena. His latest competition is inspiring others for a very different reason.
Johnson has teamed up with Samsung and Lowe's for the Helmet of Hope contest, asking fans and the media to nominate their favorite charity. The prize? Special recognition (you'll find out later just how special it is) and a $10,000 check.
For six consecutive Sprint Cup races, Johnson will select two charities that focus on children, one from fan submissions and one from media submissions. (Johnson's own charity -- The Jimmie Johnson Foundation -- assists children, families and communities in need.) The chosen charities' logos will be added to Johnson's helmet for the Pepsi 400.
"Giving away my helmet has a special meaning for me," Johnson explained to me last week.
Here is more from my conversation with Johnson last week:
Kindness: What inspired you to launch your foundation?
Jimmie Johnson: I grew up racing, and have always been involved. When I was 15 years old, the team I drove for would take the drivers to visit sick children in local hospitals to hand out stickers and spend time with them. It was a great experience for the kids that were in really difficult situations. It was rewarding to be able to leave a smile on their face. But I never dreamed I'd have my own foundation.
Kindness: What was the catalyst?
Johnson: We had been supporting a lot of charities over the years when the Petty's -- who have their own charity foundation (The Petty Family Foundation) -- sat my wife and I down and told us that we are doing great things but explained that much more could be done by through our own foundation. This welcome shove from the Petty's gave us the courage to start our own foundation.
It was scary at first…with the staff, overhead. You need a full office to run a foundation. But the fan base and sponsors stepped forward to help support us, and we have been able to do a lot of great things as a result.
Kindness: If you could wear logos on your helmet to support charities year-round, would you do it?
Johnson: I would consider it. We try to do as much as we can, but it's tough with so many causes that need help. We need a streamlined focus with the fan base. If we had something each week, people would get tired. The foundation's annual charity golf tournament in October, which is tied to the Helmet of Hope campaign, is our marquee event.
Kindness: Why is it important for celebrities to support causes?
Johnson: It's not that way for me. It was inside of me from the beginning, but has grown into so much more. Some people -- celebrity or not -- just have that desire to give back like the folks that are up at 5 a.m., painting a house for Habitat for Humanity. I love seeing that in people, and respect heck out of it
Kindness: For the NASCAR fans out there, what's next for you in racing?
Johnson: Things are going well. We're trying to win the championship again. It's been a rough month or so, but post-season in September, the team is confident and ready to go for it
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