News:

Erik Jones Foundation Marks One-Year Anniversary with Donation to Melanoma Research Foundation

$20,000 Raised by 3 Reasons to Race Event in May at Birch Run Speedway
Benefits Largest Independent Organization Devoted to Melanoma

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 7, 2022) – It was a year ago when NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones launched his own
charitable foundation in his home state of Michigan. Today, with Jones back in the Great Lake State to race at Michigan
International Speedway in the FireKeepers Casino 400, the Erik Jones Foundation proudly made a $20,000 donation to the
Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma.
Encouraging early cancer detection and care is one of the three pillars of the Erik Jones Foundation, along with
advocating for literacy and promoting animal welfare. But cancer detection and care have been a priority for Jones since
his father, Dave, succumbed to the disease in 2016.
“In February of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, and four months later he was gone,” said the 26-
year-old Jones. “Even with radiation and immunotherapy, the cancer spread. It was pretty aggressive. And what I’ve
learned since then is how important early detection is, because the sooner you diagnose it, the more options you have for
treatment.
“That’s how I got to know the Melanoma Research Foundation. They’re committed to supporting the medical research
necessary to develop effective treatments and, ideally, a cure for melanoma. They also educate patients and their doctors
about prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It’s a cause that’s pretty important to me, so when we had our first fundraiser, I
wanted MRF to be the beneficiary.”
On May 19 at Birch Run (Mich.) Speedway, located 40 miles north from Jones’ hometown of Byron, the Erik Jones
Foundation held its first event, 3 Reasons to Race. Through a unique race-gaming experience where guests could win cash
and prizes, along with a 50/50 raffle and silent auction that featured mementos from NASCAR personalities, $20,000 was
raised for MRF.
Cheryl Stratos, an MRF board member and stage four melanoma survivor, accepted the check from the Erik Jones
Foundation.
“It cannot be overstated how important donations like this one from the Erik Jones Foundation are to life-saving research
and drug development,” said Stratos, who received her diagnosis in November 2009. “I am here today because of the
work of so many people. I enrolled in a phase two clinical trial at UCLA and it saved my life. But the amount of money
and work it takes to even have a clinical trial is staggering. That’s why this donation, and this moment, where Erik and I
can advocate for early cancer detection and care, is so valuable. There’s someone today who is in the same position I was
back in 2009 who will benefit from the efforts made by Erik and his foundation with this donation to MRF.”
MRF is a dedicated advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a
cure. MRF’s website, www.melanoma.org, is the premier source for melanoma information. MRF can also be found on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In addition to raising funds for MRF, Jones has raised awareness. During this year’s Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day
weekend at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Jones partnered with MRF and local dermatologists to promote sunscreen
use. Before racing his No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro for Petty GMS, which sports an Erik Jones Foundation
logo this weekend at Michigan to commemorate its one-year anniversary, Jones joined members of his foundation and
distributed 10,000 travel-sized sunscreen containers to fans while encouraging them to schedule annual exams with their
dermatologist.

“You can’t just talk about it, you have to go and do it,” Jones said. “That’s why I started the foundation. I wanted to find a
way to do more on a larger scale. We’re only a year into it and I already feel like we’re making an impact. But the truth is,
we’re just getting started.”
The foundation’s first gift was a donation last June to the Genesee District Library, a public library system with 19
locations serving the residents of Genesee County, Michigan. It was an extension of Jones’ #READwithErik series, which
began in the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 forced NASCAR to take a 10-week break and schools transitioned to remote
learning. Jones saw an opportunity to share his passion for reading, and the first #READwithErik event took place on
April 21, 2020 when he sat down in front of a camera and read Dr. Seuss’ iconic “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” via his
Facebook page. Since its debut, #READwithErik has featured 70 books – 50 dedicated to youths with 20 other featured
titles geared toward adults – all of which have generated more than 200,000 views and a reach in excess of 430,000.
In the past year with the ease of COVID-19 restrictions, Jones has been able to take his #READwithErik series from the
digital realm to in-person gatherings. He has read to students in the campgrounds at NASCAR venues, with his first in-
person reading coming last August at Michigan where Jones read “M is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet” by Annie
Appleford, to kids and their families at the Graves Family Campground. Subsequent visits have included Estrella Vista
STEM Academy for Engineering in Avondale, Arizona, last November, where the Erik Jones Foundation donated 100
books to the school library, and Celeste Henkel Elementary School in Statesville, North Carolina, earlier this year where
Jones read another Dr. Seuss classic, “The Cat in the Hat”. Jones returned to an at-track campground event in May during
the Southern 500 race weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, reading “Back Roads, Country Toads” by Devin Scillian
and illustrated by Tim Bowers to kids and their families. Most recently, Jones joined author Neal Thompson on a panel
hosted by North Carolina Humanities on June 23 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, that
discussed Thompson’s book, “Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of NASCAR”.
Those wishing to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Erik Jones Foundation can do so via the following address:
Erik Jones Foundation
370 E. Maple Road, 4 th Floor
Birmingham, Michigan 48009

-EJF-