Austin Hatcher Foundation Diversionary Therapy visit set for Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando

Continuing its unique collaboration with IMSA, the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Joey Hand will visit the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, introducing young patients to the foundation’s innovative Diversionary Therapy program.
From there, it’ll be on to Sebring, Florida for the 64th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the second event on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, where the Extreme Speed Motorsports race team will host a fund-raising auction at its team hauler on Friday at 1:30 p.m.

In addition, car corrals for Audi, Corvette and Porsche enthusiasts will host fundraising auctions on Friday and Saturday. At each auction, racing photos, memorabilia and racecar parts will be among the items available for bidding. Green flag for the famed sports car endurance event is 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.
Diversionary Therapy is exactly what the name implies – something that gives children and families a much-needed diversion from fighting cancer.

An immensely popular staple of the foundation’s hospital visits are the building and racing of the Pinewood Derby cars. “And when we bring in a top-notch professional racecar driver like Joey Hand for a Diversionary Therapy visit, the enjoyment level for the children and their families goes up several notches,” said Austin Hatcher Foundation President Amy Jo Osborn. “Giving the children a chance to actually race the Pinewood Derby cars against a driver is really a neat experience for everyone involved. We are truly indebted to the many IMSA drivers who so graciously volunteer to take part in our hospital visits.

“It’s all about giving both the young patients and their family members a respite from the challenges of fighting disease. Our hospital visits promote leisure, recreation and play. We want to reduce barriers and provide some normalcy. This is good, important work we are doing and we are very lucky to have support from so many partners, such as IMSA.”

About the Austin Hatcher Foundation:
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s mission is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and optimize each child’s quality of life through essential specialized intervention beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout survivorship. The Foundation provides services to children with cancer, as well as their families, through its cancer care center, Hatch’s House of Hope. The Foundation provides all services at no cost to the families. Services are funded solely by the generous donations of supporters. For more information, visit www.hatcherfoundation.org. or contact the Foundation via email at info@hatcherfoundation.org.

Follow the Foundation on Facebook at facebook.com/austinhatcherfoundation and on Twitter @austinhatcher.fo.