Childress hopes gift moves, educates others to give too

Richard Childress is a man of many talents and interests. A six-time Sprint Cup champion car owner and former driver, Childress owns vineyards, actively hunts around the world and is fostering his grandsons' rise through the racing world one level at a time.

That's the public Richard Childress.

The private Richard Childress and his wife, Judy, spend their time doing things like ushering in a new era of commitment to pediatric trauma.

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On July 30, it was announced that Richard and Judy had donated $5 million to start what they plan to be the nation's most comprehensive institute for pediatric trauma in association with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (read more).

It's another example of NASCAR folk giving to their communities, and it's a big one. The $5 million initial gift is to get the program started, and there's an additional $20 million needed to see it through.

Childress was born and raised in the area, and to him, it's part of being a good community citizen. He has children and grandchildren, and they are on his mind a lot, especially with his grandsons racing now.

Childress got the idea a couple of years ago when he went to speak to a group of neurosurgeons out in Arizona.

"I went to speak to a group of neurosurgeons out in Scottsdale, Ariz., basically on teamwork ... you know, the brain and the spine, getting the two types of neurosurgeons to work together," Childress said. "I went and spoke to them, and when they were going to pay me for that, I said, 'Just take the money and put it in the local children's hospital.' I told Dr. Charlie Branch, 'How about finding something that Judy and I can put our feet into and put some time and really get behind it that can help save kids' lives?'

"A few months went by, two or three, and they came back with the idea of pediatric trauma, and once they started explaining it to us, my first question was, 'How could this be? This is the 21st century, and this shouldn't be. This should have been addressed 50 years ago or longer.' We know that research works. It saves lives. Once they started explaining to us about the need for it and the need for awareness of it, we got on board and made a financial commitment. We also made a commitment to get the word out and do fundraisers to do what it takes to get us to the next level."

How next-level will Childress go? Straight to Washington, D.C. (Continued)