Kimberly-Clark Gives The Gift of NASCAR as Brad Coleman, Driver of NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 27 Kleenex Ford Fusion Car Drops By Fox Valley Events
Neenah, WI. - Dec. 10, 2007 - For the Fox Valley, Santa came a little early this year in the form of one of NASCAR's hottest young drivers, Brad Coleman.
On Saturday, Dec. 8, the newly signed driver for hometown brand Kleenex, 19 year-old Brad Coleman dropped by several events including a holiday celebration for children with developmental disabilities sponsored by The Arc Fox Cities, Inc, a nonprofit organization celebrating 50 years of providing social, recreational and educational programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
Coleman's appearance is the culmination of Kimberly-Clark's support for The Arc Fox Cities organization by Kimberly-Clark and its employees. In 2007 alone, they gave more than $17,000 in financial contributions and countless hours in volunteer time.
Coleman's appearance marks the first time the soon-to-be Fox Valley favorite could talk to, mingle, sign autographs and showcase the NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 27 Kleenex® Ford Fusion car with Kimberly-Clark's hometown community. The events were sponsored by the Rotary Foundation and Knights of Columbus. Families from the Fox Valley Siblings Support Network, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the issues faced by individuals who have brothers and sisters with disabilities, joined in the festivities as well..
"We are thrilled to have Brad Coleman representing our portfolio of consumer brands and the Fox Valley on the NASCAR circuit this year," said Steve Kalmanson, group president, North Atlantic Consumer Products. "Brad's appearance and interaction with the families in the Fox Valley demonstrates Kimberly-Clark's longstanding commitment to being a good neighbor and our culture of caring for the families and hometowns where we live and work."
In the spirit of giving, Brad Coleman and Kimberly-Clark are donating 12 tickets to the June 21, 2008 Milwaukee Mile NASCAR Nationwide Series race to be split between Arc Fox Cities and the Fox Valley Siblings Support Network so local families can experience the thrill of NASCAR and see Coleman in action firsthand.
"Brad Coleman's visit to our events will be a cherished memory for our kids and families alike. They were overjoyed to get an up-close and personal look at his car and get to meet and interact with a professional NASCAR race driver," states Beth Tourville, executive director, The Arc Fox Cities. "We appreciate all that Kimberly-Clark has done for our organization this year."
About Brad Coleman
Discovered at the age of 12 in a Houston go-kart center, Brad Coleman became the youngest American driver to ever receive a professional open-wheel racing license at the age of 14. He then proceeded on a journey that would include leaving his family in Texas to live with his coach and mentor near a racetrack in Virginia. It was there he would train daily in stock cars, formula cars, sports cars and Daytona Prototypes all while racing various professional series around the country. At 16, Brad won Stock Car Rookie of the Year Short Track honors and was also part of the infamous Team16 in the Grand American Series as he brought a 180 MPH Porsche GT3 across the finish line to set a World Record at the 2005 Rolex 24 at Daytona as the youngest team to ever start and finish the grueling endurance race.
Coleman then focused his future on stock cars, capping of an exceptional 2006 season in the ARCA /Re-Max Series, posting 8 Top 5's in 9 starts and holding off eight-time series champion Frank Kimmel in a double green-white-checkered flag restart to win at Kentucky. Brad also ran his first NASCAR Busch Series race that year at Nashville, the week after he graduated high school. In just 17 starts for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007, the impressive youngster posted three Top 5's, five Top 10's, seven Top 15's and 10 Top 20's along with winning the Pole at Talladega and outside Pole at Bristol. Coleman recently signed with Baker Curb Racing out of Nashville to drive the NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 27 Kleenex® Ford Fusion car for the entire 2008 race season.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 135-year history of innovation, visit http://www.kimberly-clark.com/aboutus/community_involvement.aspx.