A longtime Building Tomorrow supporter has stepped up to initiate with ECR a “Ride with Rinus” campaign, so that contributors can pay $75 to have their names on the #21 car of defending GP of Indy race-winner Rinus VeeKay in this year’s edition of the race.
Founded in 2006, Building Tomorrow aims to improve learning outcomes in underprivileged communities throughout Uganda, which were particularly blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before COVID, 1.2 million children were out of school across Uganda and for two years around 10 million missed out on education due to school closures. Building Tomorrow delivered its Roots to Rise literacy and numeracy programming to more than 40,000 children in 2021 and will reach over 100,000 learners in 2022.
Donations to the “Ride with Rinus” campaign will benefit Building Tomorrow’s Roots to Rise program which teaches basic literacy and numeracy skills based on students’ learning level, not age. A $75 donation will allow five children to enroll in a Roots to Rise camp, and with the goal of adding 1,500 names to the racecar, Building Tomorrow aims to support 7,500 children in Uganda to help them get their education back on track after two years without formal schooling. Donations can be made here.
Building Tomorrow’s co-founder George Srour said: “We’re delighted to partner with Ed Carpenter Racing to raise funds and awareness for the learning crisis in Uganda. With this partnership, we’re giving anyone who wants to support literacy and numeracy – basic skills so many Ugandan kids haven’t had the chance to master – the opportunity to do so, and in return they get the chance to ‘Ride With Rinus’ on May 14.”
Since graduating to IndyCar in 2020, some of VeeKay’s best results have occurred on the IMS road course – site of his first top-five finish in July 2020, first pole position in October 2020, and first win in May 2021.
Building Tomorrow and ECR’s “Ride With Rinus” campaign will be active for the next month, closing on April 30, 2022, before contributors’ names are incorporated into the design for the May 13-14 race weekend at IMS.
