Officials from the Bristol Motor Speedway chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) had one million reasons to smile Thursday night as they proudly announced a record fundraising achievement in 2024.
SCC-Bristol executive director Claudia Byrd was emotional when she announced the record total of $1,028,325 would be distributed during the special event, where SCC allocates grants to representatives of the child-focused agencies it serves in an 18-county area throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
It is the second time the organization has exceeded the $1 million mark. The previous record of $1,002,380 was set in 2016. The new sum increases SCC-Bristol’s total raised to more than $21 million since the organization’s inception in 1997.
“We’re so thankful to the people who supported and joined our effort to help us meet the needs of children in our region and contributed to this record-breaking achievement,” said Claudia Byrd, executive director of Speedway Children’s Charities Bristol chapter. “On behalf of the countless volunteers, trustees and staff members that it takes to coordinate and produce Speedway Children’s Charities events throughout the year, we offer a huge heartfelt thank you.”
Mountain Mission School, located in Grundy, Virginia, received the prestigious Jeff Byrd Grant. Presented in honor of the late president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, the $50,000 award, which was established in 2011, is the largest single grant presented each year. The funds will renovate Mountain Mission’s existing chapel, which has long served as the epicenter of campus and student activities. Mountain Mission School was founded in 1921 by Sam Hurley and serves an at-risk student population of 175 of mostly orphaned, homeless or abused children from all over the world. Mountain Mission School has cared for an estimated 20,000 children in its history.
The annual Night of Smiles is the culmination of a year of SCC-Bristol fundraising events, including The Food City Speedway In Lights, which opens for its 28th season tomorrow night, Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.
Long hailed as the premier holiday display in the Appalachian Highlands Region, The Food City Speedway in Lights powered by TVA spreads across a five-mile route illuminated by more than three million lights among 300 displays, including 40 brand new displays in the popular Santa’s Safari section. A trip through the light show sends guests down alongside historic Bristol Dragway and all throughout the property, including a lap around the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway half-mile oval. For more information about the Food City Speedway In Lights powered by TVA, please visit the BMS website.
Organizations that received funding from SCC-Bristol during tonight’s Night of Smiles are as follows:
4thirTEEN of Johnson City
Abortion Alternatives/TLC Community Center
Abuse Alternatives Inc.
Appalachia Service Project
Appalachian Community Action and Development
Assistance and Resource Ministries, Inc.
Ballad Health/Niswonger Children’s Network
Barns at Blue Mountain Inc.
Bethany Christian Services
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Appalachia
Boys & Girls Clubs of Elizabethton
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kingsport
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greeneville & Greene Co.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Johnson City/Washington Co.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Morristown, Inc.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mountain Empire
Bread of Life Food Pantry, Inc.
Bristol Emergency Food Pantry Board
Bristol Faith in Action
Bristol Regional Speech & Hearing
Bristol’s Promise
Cap the Gap for Foster Care
Carter County Foster Care Association
CASA For Kids, Inc.
CASA of Northeast Tennessee
Child Abuse Reporting & Enforcement Center of SWVA
Child Advocacy Center of the 3rd Judicial District
Children’s Advocacy Center of Highlands Community
Children’s Advocacy Center of First Judicial District
Children’s Advocacy Center of Sullivan County
Coalition For Kids, Inc.
Communities In Schools of Appalachian Highlands
Community Help Center of Northeast Tennessee Crossroads Medical Mission, Inc.
Crumley House Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center
DePaul Community Resources
Doe River Gorge Ministries, Inc.
East TN Christian Home & Academy
Family Crisis Support Services, Inc.
Feeding Southwest Virginia
Girls Inc. of Bristol
Girls Inc. of Kingsport
Girls on the Run Northeast Tennessee
Good Samaritan Ministries
Grace Manor, Inc.
Greater Kingsport Family YMCA
Healing Hands Health
Holston Home for Children
Hope House of Scott County, Inc.
Horton Charity
Isaiah 117 House
Jeremiah School
Jericho Shriners
Kingswood Home for Children
Lunchbox276
LXI, Inc.
McClure River Valley Development Center, Inc.
Morrison School
Morristown Hamblen Central Services, Inc.
Mountain Kids, Inc.
Mountain Mission School, Inc. *
Mountain Region Speech and Hearing Center
Positive Thinkers, Inc.
Ridin’ High Inc.
Rise Up For Kids
Santa Pal, Inc.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
Shepherd’s Inn
Simple Methods in Loving Everyone
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Inc.
Somebody Loves Me, Inc.
Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House, Inc.
St. Anthony Bread Food Pantry
Sullivan County Family Justice Center / Branch House
Synergy Foundation, Inc.
Teen Venture Center
Unicoi County Family YMCA
Waiting to Hear
WMCA of Bristol
Young Life Upper East TN
Young Life Bristol
Young Life Kingsport
Youth Villages, Inc.
YWCA Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia
* Also awarded the prestigious Jeff Byrd Grant
The Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization committed to raising funds for distribution to children-based nonprofit organizations, was established in 1997. Since its inception, the chapter has raised more than $21 million, awarding grants to hundreds of qualified organizations in the 18-county area surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway. The board of trustees for the Bristol Chapter consists of 18 members, a diverse group of individuals from across the region with wide-ranging backgrounds. The trustees, two staff members and more than 300 volunteers are responsible for hosting numerous events at Bristol Motor Speedway and throughout the Bristol (Tennessee/Virginia) community. For more information about the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, visit speedwaycharities.org/bristol.
