Kyle Petty Speaks To USC Class

A journalism class at the University of South Carolina became newsworthy itself Tuesday. NASCAR driver Kyle Petty showed up as a guest speaker for a public relations class.

Senior PR major Morgan Castano interned with Kyle Petty’s Charity Ride last summer and did a public relations campaign for it, so she invited Petty to speak to her class. The charity ride across America on motorcycles brings celebrities together to raise money for children’s charities. Its main recipient now is the Victory Junction Gang camp, which provides a medically-sound camp environment for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Petty founded the camp in North Carolina in 2004 in memory of his son Adam, who was killed in a racing accident in 2000.

“You have horseback riding, arts and crafts. You have a water park. We have a gymnasium. We have archery just like any other camp, but it’s a medically-safe environment for children with sickle cell or spina bifida or heart or kidney disease, certain blood disorders,“ Petty says. The camp helps about 3,600 children a year and charges their families nothing.

Petty spoke to the class about the charity ride and camp and explained how corporate sponsors provide millions of dollars for them. He gave examples of what public relations firms do for NASCAR teams and for charity events like the motorcycle ride.

You can learn more about the Victory Junction Gang camp here.