February 15th, 2011 Andrea and Tony Pedregon presented a $40,000 check for Melanoma research to Dr. Chris Touloukian of the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center. The funds were raised from sales of the The Real Housewives of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing 2011 Calendar, a charity project Andrea Pedregon started on September 27th, 2010 which was a great success thanks to NHRA fans.
Dr. Touloukian was joined by IU Simon Cancer Center Director, Pat Loehrer who both accepted the funds on behalf of the Motorsports fans who purchased the calendars. Also in attendance were Tony and Ali Dixon (Andrea’s Sister), John & Brenda Lukovich (Andrea’s Parents), Pedregon Racing’s Amy Okuhara, Senior Associate Director of Development Amber Senseny, CARA Charities Lisa Richey-Burgiss, Cathy Lyon & Brad Haberman and Wes Collier, the General Manager of Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
The Real Housewives of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing 2011 Calendar fund raising project came about after Andrea lost her dear childhood friend, Angi, due to the effects of Melanoma Cancer in the summer of 2010 at age 42. Andrea felt driven to do something, in some way, to help prevent this terrible disease and help make the Motorsports community aware of it’s dangers after losing her friend, and indeed she did. In a very short time span she arranged the creation of the calendar with the help of the motorsports community and sold out all 1500 copies by December 27th last year. Andrea said “I was deeply touched by the personal Melanoma stories that so many individuals shared with me when purchasing the calendar.”
Andrea also noted “Presenting the check to Dr. Touloukian was bittersweet… the thought of Angi’s valiant battle was certainly emotional. However, that very moment I knew we were making a difference in the fight of Melanoma.”
The American Cancer Society estimates about 120,000 new cases of Melanoma are diagnosed each year, and the early detection and treatment is extremely important in survival rates with the disease.
The Pedregon’s would like to thank all of the supporters, sponsors and fans who helped me make this project such a success! A personal note to the wives who participated from Andrea, “Your friendship, sincerity and commitment are above & beyond. Words alone can not express my gratitude. Please know that my heart has been comforted by each of you.”
[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]
Press Contact
Andrea Pedregon
Pedregon Racing
317-858-9300
andrea@pedregonracing.com
WIX® Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, has announced season-long associate sponsorships of Cruz Pedregon Racing and Tony Pedregon Racing and the teams’ Nitro Funny Cars for the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, marking WIX’s first foray into NHRA Racing.
