Green Smoke® Expands 2011 Sprint Cup Sponsorship Relationship with NASCAR Driver T.J. Bell & LTD Powersports to Embrace H.E.R.O. (Helping Early Responders Organization)
(PRWEB) August 30, 2011
Green Smoke®, a leading manufacturer of electric cigarettes, announces that it has expanded its 2011 Sprint Cup Series sponsorship relationship with NASCAR driver T.J. Bell and LTD Powersports to include an alliance with Helping Early Responders Organization (H.E.R.O.) at three upcoming 2011 NASCAR races, beginning at the ADVO Care 500 in Atlanta, GA on Sunday, September 4th at 7:30 PM. H.E.R.O. was established in 2010 to promote the morale, welfare, and quality of life of the United States Armed Forces community, including active duty and retired service personnel, national guardsmen, reservists, firefighters, police officers, EMT’s and their families. The Green Smoke® H.E.R.O partnership will align with the corresponding non-profit organization for each honorary H.E.R.O winner starting in Atlanta and several other upcoming NASCAR race markets which will nominate a local H.E.R.O candidate. In turn, Green Smoke®, T.J. Bell and LTD Powersports will promote the service organization’s accomplishments and raise funds by urging 85 million NASCAR fans, worldwide television viewers and Green Smoke® customers to support the appropriate non-profit organization showcased for each H.E.R.O. winner. Through a special H.E.R.O promotion on their website, Green Smoke® will donate a portion of their sales to a participating H.E.R.O-affiliated non-profit organization. For further information on the Green Smoke® H.E.R.O. partnership promotion, visit: http://www.greensmoke.com.
Green Smoke®, T.J. Bell and LTD Powersports launched the Green Smoke® H.E.R.O alliance at Watkins Glen on August 15th, 2011 where they hosted H.E.R.O and Bronze Star Medalist, CPT. Dennis H. Knowles and the non-profit organization Soldiers’ Angels as their trackside guests. H.E.R.O.’s primary mission is to support and assist the non-profit organizations that help these “heroes” in their time of greatest need. The Green Smoke® H.E.R.O partnership will provide financial aid to offset the financial burdens faced by heroes and the families of deployed and injured heroes.
Steve Arnold, Green Smoke VP of marketing and customer satisfaction, states: “The Green Smoke sponsorship of NASCAR driver T.J. Bell in the 2011 Sprint Cup Series has brought a worldwide viewing audience which is now our partner in the Green Smoke® H.E.R.O program saluting our brave service men and women and ‘early responders’ in local communities whose service and valor we honor and support.”
NASCAR race driver T.J. Bell comments: “The H.E.R.O Award to CPT. Knowles recognizes that he has served our country with merit and distinction for twelve years. Thankfully, CPT Knowles is now on inactive reserve with the opportunity to be an asset and inspiration to the Addison Central School District where he teaches the sixth grade where the honors he’s earned for his years of service at the World Trade Center site, in Kuwait and in Afghanistan will inspire and motivate his students today and in the years that follow.”
Bell is enthusiastic about the relationship with H.E.R.O, adding: “I’m really proud to be working with H.E.R.O. They’re a phenomenal group of people and I’m excited that we can reward them for their hard work and dedication. We’ll do our best to show them a small token of our appreciation. Hopefully, we’ll continue our on-track success and position ourselves for a full season of racing next year and we could do a lot more with H.E.R.O. With the support of my sponsor Green Smoke®, I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
Newly formed in 2011, LTD Powersports runs a limited 2011 Sprint Cup Series schedule and is outside of the top-35 in the point standings, requiring Bell to race his way into each event that he enters. The team’s first attempt was at Darlington Raceway, where Bell earned a spot in the Showtime Southern 500. The team narrowly missed their next two attempts, failing to make the show at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. Bell rebounded from the setbacks and successfully qualified his Green Smoke Chevrolet in the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway and followed up the effort with another triumphant attempt to enter the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. LTD Powersports recently acquired three new cars and engines to add to its inventory of Green Smoke® Chevrolets. Bell aims to attempt several additional Sprint Cup races this season.
H.E.R.O. Award winner and Bronze Star Medalist CPT. Dennis H. Knowles has served the US Army with distinction in Armor for over 12 years. Knowles’ service record includes exemplary conduct and meritorious achievement awards while advancing through the ranks from Private to CPT. Knowles’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters; Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters; Cavalry Gold Spur; German Armed Forces Efficiency Gold Badge and various campaign and service ribbons.
CPT Knowles commented: “As a member of the New York State Army National Guard, a middle school teacher, and a coach within my own home community I’ve always felt a sense of duty to do what’s right and enjoyed helping others but. I’m not one to look for the spotlight of appreciation from others. However, with this H.E.R.O. Award and the opportunity to assist Soldiers’ Angels, I feel deeply honored. As a combat veteran who witnessed the destruction of 9/11 and patrolled the mountains along the Afghan-Pakistan border, I always appreciated the Americans back home who took a few moments to send care packages to unknown service members. Soldiers’ Angels is one of those groups and I feel like I’m now able to give them a thank you. Having the experience of hanging with Dan Leon, founder of The HERO Organization, TJ Bell and the rest of the #50 Green Smoke team, made me feel like a rock star.”
CPT. Knowles was commissioned in the U.S. Army Armor branch upon graduation from Reserve Officer Training Corps in 2000. His military education includes completion of the Armor Officer Basic Course. He has held leadership and key staff positions in company and battalion units in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and the United States, to include assignment as an Armor Platoon Leader, Armor Executive Officer, and Armor Delta Company Commander of 1-127 Armor Battalion; 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Operations Officer; Embedded Tactical Trainer in the Afghan National Army as a Reconnaissance Officer mentor, Paktika Province, 203rd CORPS Afghanistan; and Logistical Operations Officer, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. For the last 9 months, CPT Knowles has served in the Inactive Ready Reserve while teaching 6th grade in the Addison NY Central School district.
About Soldiers’ Angels
Founded in 2004, Soldiers’ Angels volunteers provide aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families. Soldiers’ Angels was started by Patti Patton-Bader, a self-described “ordinary mother” of two American soldiers. In the summer of 2003, her son Brandon expressed concern that some soldiers in his deployed unit did not receive any mail or support from home and Patti decided not to allow that to continue. After contacting a handful of friends and extended family and asked if they would support a soldier or two, Soldiers’ Angels went from a mother sending a few extra care packages and letters, to an Internet community with thousands of Angels worldwide. In 2004, Soldiers’ Angels reorganized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and currently supports tens of thousands of American military personnel around the world and at home to address military-related needs ranging from deployed support to wounded care to remembrance of the fallen as well as a wide variety of assistance for military families.
About Green Smoke®
Green Smoke® Inc. is based in Miami, FL and was founded to provide smokers with an exciting new alternative to traditional cigarettes. As a leading electronic cigarette brand, Green Smoke® was amongst the first companies to deliver a simple two piece e-cigarette. Today, Green Smoke® continues to pride itself on consistently delivering the highest quality products and the most authentic e-cigarette smoking experience.
For more information, visit: http://www.greensmoke.com or follow Green Smoke® on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/GreenSmokeElectronicCigarette or on Twitter @GreenSmoker.
To follow T.J. Bell, visit http://tj-bell.com or on Twitter @TJBell_Racing or visit http://www.greensmokeracing.com.
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For sponsorship information on T.J. Bell & NASCAR, contact: Dan Leon; danleon(at)comcast(dot)net; or call 610.291.7418.
For information on Soldiers’ Angels, visit: http://www.soldiersangels.org
For information on the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, visit: http://www.NASCAR.com.
Green Smoke PR Contact: PRcontact(at)GreenSmoke(dot)net.
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