Today, Comcast announced World Wide Technology Raceway owner, Curtis Francois, as the seventh annual Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Francois receives the award for his work with the Raceway Gives Foundation, which lifts up individuals and military families in the St. Louis area who are seeking to fulfill their potential, no matter their situation. Comcast will award $60,000 to the Raceway Gives Foundation in recognition of Curtis’ outstanding contributions to the community.
“This is a tremendous honor for The Raceway Gives Foundation,” said Francois. “The foundation has lofty goals and high hopes for what we can accomplish within our community by providing career opportunities, community engagement and educational experiences for area youth and military families. With this prestigious award and Comcast’s generosity, our foundation will foster transformational change for many people.”
The Raceway Gives Foundation was created by World Wide Technology Raceway to serve as a community asset that focuses on STEM education and diversity. It seeks to create a larger STEM footprint by bringing an expanded and unique curriculum to area youth. Of note is the foundation’s relationship with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center via the “Racing in the Classroom” program that introduces motorsports education and career opportunities to an underserved community for local youth ages 8-18.
Recently, Comcast partnered with Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee and local youth to surprise Curtis with the award. Video from the surprise event can be viewed here.
Francois was chosen by a panel comprised of Comcast NBCUniversal and NASCAR executives, as well as the 2020 Comcast Community Champion, Bubba Wallace who received the award for his work with the Live To Be Different Foundation.
“Comcast is proud to recognize Curtis as the 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Each day The Raceway Gives Foundation has demonstrated the importance of making a positive impact in one’s own community,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s vice president of brand partnerships and amplification. “Curtis embodies everything the award stands for and what it looks like to be a champion in their community. I look forward to seeing how both Curtis and his foundation continue to make a positive impact in the lives of their community and in the sport of NASCAR.
Greg Walter, Executive Vice President / GM at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Jamie Little, NASCAR pit reporter for FOX Sports were selected as finalists and each will be awarded $30,000 toward charity organizations in their hometowns of Charlotte, N.C., and Indianapolis, Indiana, respectively.
In conjunction with the Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC), Walter worked to provide funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation and played a pivotal role in distributing more than $300,000 SCC funds at Christmas to deserving area nonprofits serving children in need.
Little started working with the Animal Help Alliance, a foster based rescue that specializes in rescuing animals in our community. Little has been extremely active in animal rescue work, donating to over 25 animal shelters throughout the country. Videos highlighting each finalist’s story can be viewed at ComcastCommunityChampion.com.
Comcast’s Xfinity brand entered NASCAR as entitlement partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015 and is now Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series. Since then, the company has donated $840,000 to more than 20 different NASCAR-affiliated organizations to honor their efforts and to help further the impact of their worthy causes. Fans can visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com to learn more about past and present finalists and their acts of selflessness.
