The 4th Annual Patrick Long Pro-Am Kart Race saw professional race car drivers put their skills to work on slightly smaller vehicles, earning $67,500 for All Children’s Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine.
ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING
third-party events held to support the hospital, Kart 4 Kids is taking the lead on fundraising. Participants worked hard and played hard to raise money for All Children’s.
“We’ve gone from raising $6,400 the first year to $67,500 this year, which is our highest yet,” says co-chair Page Obenshain. “One hundred percent goes to All Children’s.”
“Pro driver and event chair Patrick Long has worked very hard to help us get the top Nascar, Indy, IMSA and more drivers,” adds co-chair David Bassett. “Most of them race all day Saturday at the 12 hours of Sebring, then get up the next morning and head over to Andersen Race Track in Palmetto to race for us, which says a lot about their dedication.” Andersen donates the track time, and Obenshain has secured sponsors like Patron Tequila and Rally Food Stores. Twenty dedicated committee members are mostly Suncoast Porsche Club of America members. The race includes both pro and amateur drivers, who form teams and drive together.
A VERY SPECIAL POSTER ARTIST
The designer of the official Kart 4 Kids poster and his family have a history with All Children’s. Five-year-old Carter was born with supraventricular tachycardia, a rapid, irregular heartbeat that required a two-week stay and care from multiple specialists at All Children’s, including an electrophysiologist.
“My daughter was also treated by pediatric cardiology at All Children’s, and my wife, Stephanie, spent years there as a neonatal intensive care nurse,” explains Carter’s dad, Mike, who is the sales manager at Bert Smith Porsche. “I definitely have firsthand knowledge of the amazing work All Children’s does.”
“It isn’t a coincidence that Kart 4 Kids has become such a success in a very short time,” says All Children’s Hospital Foundation Vice President Sylvia Ameen. “This group has worked so hard and shown incredible dedication to All Children’s. They are bringing awareness of our mission to an entirely new audience in Manatee County. After all the work they did for this event, the drivers took the time to come to St. Petersburg and tour the hospital, to personally see the impact of their philanthropy.”
