NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver, Jeremy Clements, to host local fundraiser for rare diseases

Jan. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- Greenville, S.C. – Spartanburg resident and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements will host the Upstate’s first-ever Valentines and Vegas fundraiser on Saturday, February 11 to raise funds for and awareness of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs), a group of uncommon chronic illnesses that are rapidly emerging as a healthcare problem worldwide.

“Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders are debilitating, chronic diseases that require long-term treatment and have no known cure,” says Dr. Jonathan Markowitz, director of the state’s largest pediatric gastroenterology practice at Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center. “These disorders are also difficult to diagnose, which is why events like this are so important. Valentines and Vegas will help raise awareness of these complicated disorders and also help raise the funds necessary to find a cure.”  

In 2010, Clements met a young boy named Ricky Springer who had an incredible passion for creating awareness of eosinophilic disorders. Springer, a dirt track kart racer, founded Racing for a Cause, an education and fundraising campaign for American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED), in 2009 at the age of seven, with the goal of educating the world about these diseases. To date, Springer and the Racing for a Cause Team, which includes drivers from all different racing series worldwide, have educated more than five million people about these diseases through media and events like Valentines and Vegas.

“I have been involved with Racing for a Cause and APFED for a little over a year now,” says Clements. “I am blessed to be in a position where I can help raise awareness of eosinophilic disorders and support APFED.”  

Clements will be joined by several other drivers from the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Valentines and Vegas event, which will take place at Embassy Suites Golf Course and Convention Center in Greenville from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The event is sponsored by Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center.

To register for the event, visit http://www.racingforacause.com

About American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)
American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders. APFED strives to expand education, create awareness, and support research while promoting advocacy among its members. http://www.apfed.org
For more information about Racing for a Cause, visit http://www.racingforacause.com.
For more information about Jeremy Clements, visit http://www.jeremyclementsracing.com  

About Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center
Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center is located in Greenville, South Carolina, and serves as the region’s source for pediatric care. It is the Upstate’s only pediatric hospital recognized by the National Association for Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, providing more comprehensive “whole child” care than many of the country’s major medical centers. Board-certified physicians in multiple pediatric subspecialties and experienced in advanced medicine treat more than 180,000 infants, children and adolescents each year. For more information, visit http://www.ghschildrens.org.