Thirteen-year-old Blake Lillicraf won the experience of a lifetime when his car paint scheme design debuted at the Route 66 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals race, June 28-30, in Joliet, Ill. Lillicraf’s design was featured on the Motorcraft®/Quick Lane® Ford Shelby® Mustang Funny Car, driven by Bob Tasca III. With “Help us extinguish diabetes” emblazoned across the hood, Tasca joined an elite group of drivers on the circuit to break the four-second barrier at the race.
The experience was the culmination of the Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) “Our Everyday Heroes” race car design contest for JDRF, which for the sixth consecutive year has given a child living with type I Diabetes (T1D) the chance to compete and see their winning car design in real life. Fifty-one children from around the country with T1D raised funds for JDRF that will fund research for a cure to the disease they all share, in hopes that their design would be seen racing at 300 mph come the end of June. Lillicraf won the contest, and traveled from Trumbull, Conn., with his family to see his design make history.
“There is something really special about seeing children, who are struggling with a disease like this to express themselves in such a fun, creative way,” said Mary Lou Quesnell, Director of Marketing for FCSD. “Blake was just diagnosed with T1D last year and, in just a short amount of time, has made a difference, raising $6,550 for much-needed research.”
This year, the contest raised $57,127 to support research for T1D, bringing the total raised to nearly $300,000 in six years. Fans can continue to donate to the cause by texting “JDRF” once to 20222 until Aug. 16, 2013. A one-time donation of $10 will be added to their mobile phone bill or deducted from their prepaid balance. Money raised will be added to Lillicraf’s $6,550 fund-raising total.
“The designs these kids come up with are just incredible,” Tasca said. “It really is an honor to help spread the word about JDRF and tell the story of what these kids live with every day. Their strength is amazing.”
To date, Ford Motor Company has contributed $42 million to JDRF, more than $3 million annually for the last 10 years. Ford Motor Company is the largest global sponsor of JDRF; no other company or organization has made a larger impact on JDRF funding.
The winning design was selected by a committee including representatives from FCSD and JDRF. It was unveiled on June 28, at the start of the Route 66 NHRA Nationals race. Last year, Tasca participated in a “T1D for a Day” challenge to see what it’s like to live with T1D for a day. He received text reminders on his cell phone that told him what a person with T1D would be doing at certain times throughout the day.
Subscribe to Motor Age and receive articles like this every month…absolutely free. Click here
