Holiday spirit filled The Palace Theatre in Manchester, N.H. Wednesday as the New Hampshire Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities (SCCNH), the official charity of New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), held its 16th annual Grant Distribution Ceremony. Grants were handed out to 43 local nonprofits totaling $155,600 in front of the festive backdrop from “A Christmas Carol.”

“All of the hard work, all the fundraising and to see it all come to fruition today with 43 organizations across all of New England getting all of this money, it just makes your heart warm in the holiday season,” said New Hampshire Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager David McGrath. “It’s a tough time of year, and any chance that we can get to raise more money from awesome fans across different spectrums – police officers, Harley Davidson riders and our bread and butter, our NASCAR fans – it really makes your heart full that there’s a charitable group of people out there that really want to help us support children’s organizations.”

Manchester, New Hampshire Mayor Jay Ruais was in attendance and addressed the grant recipients during opening remarks of the ceremony.

“For those who don’t know, I worked in the nonprofit space for about seven years before I ran for mayor … and then before that, I worked at a national nonprofit that helped people with addiction issues,” said Ruais. “I ran [for mayor] because I just wanted to help people because I love the work that I did in the nonprofit world, so I have a deep appreciation for what everybody in this room does on a daily basis.”

Since 2009, SCCNH has distributed more than $2.3 million, supporting nearly 1.5 million children throughout the region.

“Everyone needs more money this time of year, so as much money as we can raise, we’re happy to help get it out to these very necessary organizations,” said Speedway Children’s Charities New Hampshire Chapter Director and New Hampshire Motor Speedway Director of Marketing Danielle Cyr. “What an amazing feeling. The Grinch’s heart grew three sizes, and mine grew six!”

Today’s 43 grant recipients include:

  • New Hampshire
    • Arts in Reach (Portsmouth)
    • Best Buddies in New Hampshire (Bedford)
    • Boxes of Love for the Homeless (Candia)
    • Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua (Nashua)
    • The Bridge Project (North Woodstock)
    • Canterbury Elementary School Advocates (Canterbury)
    • Concord Hospital Trust (Concord)
    • Easterseals New Hampshire (Manchester)
    • Families in Transition (Manchester)
    • Family Promise of Greater Concord (Concord)
    • Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire (Nashua)
    • Friends of Aine (Manchester)
    • Full Circle Farm Therapeutic Horsemanship (Newport)
    • Girls Inc. (Manchester)
    • Keene Housing Kids Collaborative (Keene)
    • Marguerite’s Place (Nashua)
    • Monarch School of New England (Rochester)
    • Nashua Children’s Home (Nashua)
    • New Generation (Greenland)
    • Palace Theatre Trust (Manchester)
    • The Pittsfield Youth Workshop (Pittsfield)
    • Reach for the Top Therapy Services (Dover)
    • Rochester Child Care Center (Rochester)
    • Salem Family Resources (Salem)
    • Seacoast Community School (Portsmouth)
    • Sleep in Heavenly Peace (Hillsborough, Rochester, Sullivan)
    • Tappley-Thompson Community Center/Bristol Recreation Advisory Council (Bristol)
  • Connecticut
    • Gifts of Love CT (Avon)
    • Camp Courant (Farmington)
    • Covenant to Care for Children (Hartford)
    • Thames River Community Service (Norwich)
  • Maine
    • Camp Susan Curtis (Portland)
    • Community Concepts (Lewiston)
    • Piscataquis Regional Food Center (Dover-Foxcroft)
  • Massachusetts
    • Boys and Girls Club of MetroWest (Marlborough)
    • Camp Words Unspoken (Westfield)
    • The Children’s Piazza (Peabody)
    • Fall River Deaconess Home (Fall River)
    • Family ACCESS of Newton (West Newton)
    • The Kennek Foundation (Marblehead)
    • Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (Lynn)
    • The Sports Museum of New England (Boston)
    • Treehouse Foundation (Easthampton)

SCCNH is one of 11 chapters around the country, and combined in 2025, Speedway Children’s Charities distributed nearly $5 million in grants to nearly 500 different charitable organizations across the country, bringing the total funds distributed since 1982 to more than $77.6, ensuring many children in need are given the tools to build a better, brighter and healthy future. The money raised comes in large part thanks to the fundraising efforts of 11 Speedway Motorsports facilities and events: Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, EchoPark Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR at COTA, Nashville Superspeedway, NHMS, North Wilkesboro Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

The grants distributed today resulted from fundraising opportunities and events that took place between November 2024 and October 2025:

  • Gift of Lights presented by Ambetter from NH Healthy Families
  • Four Laps for Charity events
  • Third annual Top Cop for Kids Motorcycle Skills Challenge presented by Whelen with the help of ProRider 603
  • Motorcycle Ride to the Racetrack presented by Laconia Harley-Davidson
  • Custom brick sales
  • Online auction
  • Signing the Track Wall Banner prior to the Mobil 1 301 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race
  • Track Treasures Shop
  • Fifth annual 50/50 Raffle
  • Fourth annual Cornhole Tournament presented by Texas Roadhouse
  • Track Walk presented by LeMay Family Goodworks
  • Wicked Good Live Auction
  • 24 Hours of Lemons Halloween Hooptiefest

Fundraising for 2026 grants has already begun during the 15th annual Gift of Lights, open nightly through Jan. 4, 2026 at NHMS. A portion of the proceeds from Gift of Lights admissions and s’more kit purchases will benefit SCCNH. The 2.5-mile drive-thru light show featuring four million LED lights opens at 4:30 p.m. nightly, depending on the weather. Admission is available for purchase online or at the event entrance for $35 per car or $60 per bus, limousine or RV. SCCNH has raised $473,502 from Gift of Lights since 2011.

Need a holiday gift idea for a race fan? Cement their legacy as a NHMS fan for years to come by purchasing an engraved brick that can be customized with names, family names or even a special message. A 4” x 8” brick is $200, and an 8” x 8” brick is $350 with proceeds directly benefitting children in need throughout New England. Once a collection of bricks has been sold, they’ll be used to build a beautiful walkway on NHMS property, which will be unveiled during NHMS’s 2026 NASCAR weekend.

For more information on Speedway Children’s Charities, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please contact New Hampshire Chapter Director Danielle Cyr at [email protected].

Follow Us:
Keep track of all of the New Hampshire Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities events on the charity website and by following on Facebook (@SCC.NH), X (@SCCNHMS) and Instagram (@SCCNHMS). To donate directly to SCCNH, please visit SpeedwayCharities.org/Donate/#NewHampshire.