Terry Cook and Power Stroke Diesel Team Up To Promote Paws With A Cause

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) - Power Stroke Diesel and driver Terry Cook are at Daytona International Speedway this week with two objectives; the first winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday and the second to promote the Paws With A Cause organization.  Paws With A Cause®, a not-for-profit organization that began in 1979, trains dogs to assist individuals with mobility and hearing disabilities.  With a Canine Development Facility with national headquarters in Wayland, Mich., Paws With A Cause looks to increase its awareness nationwide through motorsports.

"I want to bring awareness of the Paws With A Cause program to a lot of people," said Cook, driver of the No. 10 ppc Racing Power Stroke Diesel Ford.  "Paws With A Cause is a great not-for-profit organization that helps people with disabilities.  My wife and I are dog lovers and have two beagles, Abby and Toby.  What a joy they are to have.  I have been a dog lover since as old as I knew what a dog is.  I see a true joy in owning a dog.  They are near and dear to my heart."

Paws With A Cause is beginning its 25th year of encouraging independence for people with disabilities with the support of dedicated donors, volunteers, clients and staff members.  With placements, supplemental training, re-certification and applicant Needs Assessment interviews to more than 1,700 individuals, Paws With A Cause has established itself as a leader in the Assistance Dog field with more than one hundred field representatives in 38 states.  Forty percent of all Assistance Dogs come from the Paws With A Cause training program, each custom-trained for the client.

"International and Power Stroke Diesel were looking to expand their reach of our motorsports program to help bring attention to a worthy cause that connects with the loyal owner base of Power Stroke Diesel owners and race fans across the country," said Bob Carso, Director of Communication and Market Strategy for International Truck and Engine Corp.  "A high percentage of Power Stroke Diesel owners are also dog owners.  To see how these dogs help people with disabilities lead independent lives is awe inspiring.  We felt it would be a privilege to help raise awareness for their outstanding work."

Paws With A Cause begins with puppies living with foster parents in the home. Each puppy is brought into a rich, stimulating environment full of love, attention and socialization, giving the early experience they need to be someone's reliable partner.  Once the puppies are between the ages of 15 and 18 months, foster parents will then turn over the dogs to Paws With A Cause, where each is trained accordingly based on the needs of the client.

Paws With A Cause encourages independence for individuals with a broad range of disabilities including epilepsy and seizures, blood and kidney disorders, cancer, Meniere's Syndrome, Parkinson's, cardio myopathy, lupus, Lou Gehrig's Disease, spina bifida, polio, chronic fatigue syndrome, arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, deafness and muscular dystrophy.

To breed/rescue, raise, train and place each Assistance Dog costs more than $18,000 and with no federal, state or local funds in place, Paws With A Cause relies on the generous donors as the lifeblood to the organization.  There is even an endowment fund established for clients who need to retire their dogs and maintain the same quality of life with another Paws With A Cause Assistance Dog.

"Paws With A Cause recognizes the drawing power of NASCAR," said Michael Sapp, founder and COO for Paws With A Cause.  "To be part of a great program like this with International and Power Stroke Diesel is something that we're really looking forward to.  This is an opportunity to increase the awareness of our mission that a non-profit group like us would never have the manpower or funding to be able to execute on our own."

In every major NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series market this year, Power Stroke Diesel and International Truck and Engine Corp. will showcase a replica version of the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel race truck.  This Power Stroke Diesel truck will promote the "Racing is for the Dogs" program and feature a two-person driving simulator allowing participants to get inside a real race truck and compete against their friend and other drivers in a computer simulated race.

The price to participate in the simulator experience will be a monetary donation to Paws With A Cause.  One hundred percent of the donations will go to the not-for-profit organization.    The driving simulator events will take place throughout the entire race season and will coincide with all NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events.

Local representatives from Paws With A Cause will be on hand at each simulator event to demonstrate on how dogs are trained to help those people with special needs and to provide information on how to get involved with Paws With A Cause in local communities. 

The "Racing is for the Dogs" program will kick off the 2004 season with its first appearance at the Volusia Mall on Thursday, February 12th and Friday, February 13th from noon - 5:00 p.m.  Driver Terry Cook will be on-hand from noon - 1:00 p.m. on Thursday to talk about the "Racing is for the Dogs" program.

For more information on how you can help Paws With A Cause with its mission and vision, please visit www.pawswithacause.org or call toll free
(800) 253-7297.