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Comcast has announced the finalists for the 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. FOX Sports reporter Jamie Little, World Wide Technology Raceway owner Curtis Francois, and Charlotte Motor Speedway GM Greg Walter are the finalists due to their philanthropic efforts within the NASCAR industry.
Comcast issued a press release on Wednesday, October 27, and listed their respective efforts. Francois used WWTR’s charitable arm, Raceway Gives, to provide programs that enhance education and career opportunities for youth, with a focus on STEM education and diversity. According to the press release, Raceway Gives focuses on gifted, diverse, and underserved youth, as well as military families, using three pillars: motorsports career opportunities, community engagement with high schools and youth clubs, and educational experiences.
Walter turned Charlotte Motor Speedway into the first-professional sports venue to serve as a remote testing site and a drive-through mass vaccination clinic. The iconic venue has also served as the host site of food drives, blood drives, and high-school graduations. Additionally, Walter serves on the board for the Charlotte chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, “a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children.”
Little has spent a mass amount of time dedicating her efforts to helping animal rescues around the country. She began working with Animal Help Alliance in 2020 to help animals impacted by neglect and abuse. She has also used her social media profiles to highlight animals in need of loving homes around the country.
“Curtis, Greg and Jamie are demonstrating how important it is to make a positive impact on their community and we’re proud to honor them with this award that recognizes individuals within the sport who are going above and beyond.” said Matt Lederer, Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Amplification at Comcast, in a press release. “Community impact is one of Comcast’s core values, and each of these finalists embodies what it means to be a champion in their community.”
Little Spends Considerable Time Helping Promote Animals
As someone that grew up with a variety of animals, including hermit crabs and horses, Little developed a love for all types of creatures. As she got older, she began using her influence to support shelters around the country.
Each time that Little heads to a city to cover a race, she also takes time to visit a local shelter and highlight it on her social media profiles. She spends time with the animals, makes a donation, and puts them on the radar of potential owners.
“It wasn’t until I got older that I started realizing there are shelters and that they’re really good animals there that people just give up for one reason or another, whether it’s financial or they get married or they have children,” Little told Heavy during a May 2021 interview. “They give them up, and they’re great animals. Now, they’re just stuck in a crate or a kennel and they need a home.
“And I think that a lot of people for many years thought that they were just bad places. The dog pound, you know, pick those dogs up and they put them in these pounds. And they’re bad and they’re mean and they have behavior issues. That’s not the case, especially now. I mean, there’s so many amazing shelters.”
Comcast Will Award Thousands to Each Finalist’s Charity
While all three NASCAR figures are finalists, they will not know if they win until the end of November. A panel of Comcast and NASCAR executives will select the champion. Bubba Wallace, the winner of the award in 2020 for his work with the Live To Be Different Foundation, will also help with the selection.
The winner’s affiliated charity will receive a $60,000 donation courtesy of Comcast. The charities affiliated with the two runner-ups will each receive $30,000 donations from Comcast.
Comcast’s Xfinity brand first partnered with NASCAR’s second-tier series as the title sponsor in 2015, taking over for Nationwide. The company has also become a Premier Partner of the NASCAR Cup Series, sponsoring multiple drivers and the Xfinity 500 race at Martinsville Speedway. Since joining NASCAR, Comcast has donated $840,000 to “more than 20 different NASCAR-affiliated” organizations.
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