NASCAR Foundation's Poker Tournament Raises $150K For Speediatrics


The NASCAR Foundation’s 2014 High Speed Hold ‘Em Charity Poker Tournament presented by Halifax Health was a fun filled night of poker benefitting The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics unit at Halifax Hospital. NASCAR and Poker makes for a great combination to bring high stakes and high speeds to benefit our local community. The event was held on February 19th at Embry Riddle.

Betty Jane France,
Speediatrics exists thanks to the vision of The NASCAR Foundation Chairperson and Speediatrics founder, Betty Jane France, to create a place where kids are not intimidated by the overwhelming experience of being in the hospital. Speediatrics is helping these kids to a speedy recovery through a unique combination of caring, commitment and kindness, all with a NASCAR theme

The NASCAR Foundation Chairwoman was joined by co-chairs Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, and the evening featured a poker tournament with players from the local business and NASCAR community.Drivers in attendance Regan Smith, Alex Bowman, Dakoda Armstrong, Jamie Dick, Jimmy Weller, John Wes Townley and IMSA driver James Gue. The poker community was represented as well,2003 World Series of Poker celebrity player Chris Moneymaker who played and won first place in the tournament

The evening culminated with a $150,000 check presentation to the Speediatrics unit at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.



Team Owner Rick Hendrick

Chris Moneymaker
About The NASCAR Foundation
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc., (NASCAR) launched The NASCAR Foundation in January 2006. The NASCAR Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit entity that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR family and its commitment to serving communities. The NASCAR Foundation seeks to raise funds and increase volunteerism to support nonprofit charities and charitable causes throughout the nation with an emphasis placed on initiatives that affect the ability of children to live, learn and play. For more information on The NASCAR Foundation, please visit the website: NASCAR.COM/foundation. Also on Facebook and Twitter


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Putting The Trust In Your Social Media Professional-Part Two

Yesterday, I blogged about establishing the trust in paying someone to do your social media marketing. Here is Part Two:


How do you know you picked the right social media marketer?


1.You trust them explicitly and heed their recommendations

2. You  start sending them information to them and they get it out in a timely manner.

3. They spell correctly

4. They engage with the customer and they answer questions and address complaints immediately.

5. They post short, not lengthy status updates about your business that aren't always about your lunch specials.

6. They aren't annoying and talk about dinner plates at 9am on a Sunday, a legal issue at 11p at night on a Wednesday or Ask you to come for Bicirdi Happy Hour (note: the typo is theirs not mine).

Social Media Responsibilities For You And Your Employees

Once you have established trust in your professional, what if you or your employees still want to partake in the social media process? Know that even though you have hired someone, you can post at any time, but this should be taken off your list of things to worry about. Just like you wouldn't stand behind your lawyer and whisper closing arguments to him in your case, why not just send them the information over and trust the process of what you are paying is taking place?

Once you have made this hire, talk to your employees or managers and make sure they follow the process suggested by the social media professional.

I am not trying to be a control freak, I promise..I am so thankful for the inside help/additional posting by my clients, I am only one person! I just hope your social media professional takes time with them, and go over their preferences and expectations when working together. The end goal is mutual for all parties: using social media properly and feeling comfortable that your money is being well spent by hiring a professional.

I have had some wonderful relations with employees and clients co-posting, and some really bad ones. I had a GM tell me if he waned to post on Facebook for the shop, he could just do it and then proceeded to ask the owner for the amount of money that they were paying me monthly because he clearly had it under control and the company could just pay him. Ha Ha!

How Much Should Your Social Media Cost To Outsource?

Speaking of money, the trust of your social media professional should come at a price that is comfortable for the both of you. You should expect to pay less for a  simple, even blanket of social media presence, someone who has his eye on the streets for any online chatter about your business and does all the things described above. Not the bare minimum by any means but you can cross off having a social media presence off your list of things to do at this level, Expect to pay a little more if your social media includes more of the creative process.

Think about if you treat your creative professionals in your life and ask if you treat them like you should. Is it because they need the hand holding? Let them prove themselves to you before meddling and you will be surprised how much more productive your business can be.
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Putting The Trust In Your Social Media Professional-Part One

This week, our air broke. I hired our A/C technician and patiently waited for him to come. When he arrived, I answered the door, put on my tool belt and stood behind him and inputted his every move, and when he wasn't looking did some duct work of my own. Then I paid for his services.

Then, my brakes went bad....rough week, right? I pulled into the auto repair shop, changed my clothes and met my mechanic in the bay. When the mechanic received a phone call, I jacked up the car and got to work, going in behind the mechanic and changing his every move. Then I paid the bill and went on my merry way.

None of these examples are true, obviously. Who in their right mind would waste the money hiring someone to do a service and then go in and do it themselves with no formal training? 

If the situations above sound ridiculous, why are some people meddling in the same manner if they pay for a creative service like social media? If you have the good sense to hire someone for your social media, or any creative job...graphic design, email marketing, etc. I would like you to think about giving them the respect to do what you are paying them to do. 

At the risk of being unkind, when it comes to social media-just because you have a Facebook account to update your daily status, a social media marketer you do not make. 


Here is my philosophy for hiring someone to do the social media for your business. First, congrats for having the kind sense to know that you need this form of new media to stay relevant in 2012. 

How To Choose The Right Social Media Marketing Company

It is blind faith to hire someone for this new marketing process but I bet you did for one of the following reasons:

1. You know you need to have social media for your business but do not have the time to do it consistently, all the while constantly looking for new trends that would improve your business using social media.

2. Your competition uses social media and you have no interest in being on the computer other than to check a seldom email.

3. You have a million things more to do than sit on Facebook and Yelp all day (like your business)

Think twice about hiring companies that offer more than social media if you just need this presence. There is a lot to be said for being good at just one thing. I am wary of these "PR firms" who do PR, web design, custom email news letters, graphics and logos, press releases, social media, your landscaping,your laundry- you name it. An all in one isn't very effective if they have spread themselves so thin that they are just a little good at all of these services instead of being really proficient in one of the fields.

A reminder: Do you not gage the success on your social media professional by your numbers. Social Media is used for branding NOT selling! Go buy some radio or consult an agency for a creative campaign if you need to sell something! Social means just that...social, non-invasive, act of the subconscious marketing.

Stay Tuned for Part Two Tomorrow! 
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