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Pettys open camp for ailing children in honor of Adam Petty Larry Penkava ASHEBORO, N.C.— There were smiles and tears recently when ribbons were cut dedicating the Victory Junction Gang Camp at Level Cross. Built in honor of the late Adam Petty, whose love of children inspired the camp styled after Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Victory Junction was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in 2000 after their son was killed in an auto racing accident. “We’ve lost one son, but we've gained hundreds, we hope thousands, of sons and daughters,” said Kyle Petty during ceremonies attended by about 2,000 supporters of the camp. “We couldn’t be prouder to be associated with a group of people. This is not our camp, it’s your camp. We’re just the caretakers.” Visitors to the invitation-only affair toured the facility that's designed for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Newman, acclaimed film actor and philanthropist, had Richard Petty as his tour guide. They were accompanied by John Forester, who is with the Double H Ranch of upstate New York and also chairman of the Hole in the Wall Gang new camp development committee. “Spectacular” was his word for Victory Junction. “A lot of adults wish they could have come here to camp.” “There are lots of hands-on things to do here,” said Forester. “It’s so colorful that it'll be a very cheerful experience. A lot of life is not cheerful for these children.” Built on about 75 acres donated by Richard and Lynda Petty, the camp has close to 40 buildings, including a dining hall, gym, pool, theater, therapeutic equestrian center, arts and crafts building, race shop and 16 camper cabins. There is a large lake for boating and fishing. Adam's Race Shop is built in the shape of his Busch race car. The Pettys have raised about $24 million in the construction phase of the project. Fund-raising will be ongoing since the camp is free for the children. Austin and Montgomery Lee Petty, brother and sister of Adam, made a surprise announcement that they will sponsor an annual charity golf tournament to fund Adam's Race Shop. Kyle Petty said the family went through a number of potential names for the camp before settling on a racing theme. “We were all sitting around coming up with names like Petty Coat Junction and Mayberry Country,” he said. “Then we said why not a race theme? That’s when we came up with Victory Junction.” He told the crowd that planners didn’t know at first how to do the ribbon-cutting. Then he decided to include “all the guys who worked on Adam’s Busch team.” Members of Adam’s team each held a piece of the ribbon as it was cut, then emotionally hugged one another. “I'm overwhelmed,” said Brian Collier, executive director of Victory Junction for the past three years. “It’s such an honor to work with the Pettys and to see all the people come out in support and with the emotions displayed.” “I’m not an emotional person," he said, "but there were times (during the ceremonies) when I broke down.” Besides Newman, celebrities in attendance included N.C. Gov. Mike Easley, NASCAR officials Bill France Jr., Brian France and Mike Helton, Nextel Cup race team owners Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress, and drivers Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Bush, Mark Martin and Jimmy Spencer. Larry Penkava is a reporter for The Randolph (N.C.) Guide, a CNHI sister publication. Add a comment |
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