San Diego, CA (October 22, 2019) – Seven Countries, 24 States, 109 Donors, 167 paw prints and $8754 raised for Nowzad!
For the past several years, Dakota Dickerson has used his racing platform to raise awareness for two charities he supports which couple his strong respect for our nation’s veterans as well as his love for animals. This past month, the California native focused his attention on Nowzad, a rescue and training organization based in Afghanistan but with worldwide impact. Setting a goal of $1000, Dickerson proposed to race the final event of the F3 Americas Championship series with the name of each donor’s furry loved one on his championship winning Ligier JS F3 powered by Honda. Within 5 hours of posting the “Paws on a Race Car” fundraiser to Facebook, this goal was achieved! People from around the world donated and the excitement grew heading into the finale at Sebring International Raceway.
Photo: Joseph Bierschbach – Red Case Photography
“I heard of Nowzad and their story a few years ago and felt very connected with what they are achieving both for animals and veterans alike” said Dickerson. “You see some of the pictures of the animal rescues that they share on social media and they are heart wrenching. The work that Nowzad does is incredible, and I admire them for their dedication and service. I am so grateful that we are able to support this charity with our racing platform. The response we got from around the globe was amazing and I hope that we can continue to help Nowzad in the coming years!”
When soldiers are deployed overseas, they often form bonds with abandoned dogs and cats but are unable to bring them home when their tour of duty is over. Nowzad cares for these battle buddies and helps to raise funds so that these veterans can be reunited with the furry friends that helped them survive their time serving their country. In addition, Nowzad operates and manages the only animal sanctuary in the Afghanistan area and provides vital animal welfare for a variety of different animals in Kabul and developed training programs to improve the relationship between working animals and the Afghan people.
The founder of Nowzad Pen Farthing, commented: “Dakota Dickerson raised a whopping $8,800 by not only kindly covering his Formula 3 racing car in paw prints with our supporter’s beloved pet’s names written on them, he also very generously matched $2,500 himself. Dakota’s fundraising idea was a unique and fun way for folks to support the valuable work that Nowzad is undertaking in reuniting American soldiers with the stray dogs and cats they have adopted whilst serving on the frontlines in Afghanistan. These animals are a positive ray of light for the soldiers during what can be a stressful tour of duty” Farthing added. “Dakota’s ruthless racing ability on the track is intermingled with his compassion and determination for supporting animal welfare.We are now hoping Dakota starts racing trucks next year as we are running out of space on his car...!”
Donations came in from 24 states here in the United States, as well as from Canada, Spain, Brazil, Japan, the UK, and Afghanistan. Not only were dogs and cats represented on the race car but there was also a tortoise, donkey and bird. The total of nearly $8800 will go to Nowzad to help with soldier rescues and to support the sanctuary in Kabul.
Dakota Dickerson has announced that he will join MLT Motorsports for a full season in the 2020 IMSA Prototype Challenge with support from Ligier Automotive.