Evernham returns favor

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Eighteen years ago, Ray Evernham needed a job, medical insurance and a place to stay when he learned his 1-year old son, Ray J, had leukemia.

Evernham found a Ronald McDonald House in New York City and while the doctors at Sloan-Kettering hospital were saving his son’s life, the house gave the struggling young racing professional and his family a place to stay and a sense of comfort.

He’s never forgotten it.

On Thursday, Evernham made a $250,000 donation to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte that will be built on West Morehead Street. He also agreed to serve on the charity’s executive board to help oversee the construction of what will be a 28-room house for families of sick children.

“It’s that sense of duty. This is something I have to do,” Evernham said. “You don’t let things like this go by without getting involved.”

For Evernham, who became one of the most successful crew chiefs in NASCAR history and later a car owner, the Ronald McDonald House in New York became a saving grace during a difficult time.

He recently had moved to Charlotte to pursue a racing career with Hendrick Motorsports. Evernham was between medical coverage when he learned his son in New Jersey was sick.

Evernham made 10 trips to the Ronald McDonald House and family members were there more often.

“I can’t explain what it means to be so lost in a town with a sick child,” he said. “I can say that parents will find some comfort in these walls. It’s important that this gets built and gets used.”

Charlotte is the largest city in the country without a Ronald McDonald House, according to Mona Johnson-Gibson, executive director of the Charlotte house.

Groundbreaking on the home will happen within 30 days. Construction costs have dropped from $7 million to $5.5 million, Johnson-Gibson said, and could fall more.

With Evernham’s pledge, the fundraising campaign has passed $6 million. The goal is to raise $9 million to have the facility fully funded for its first two years.

Evernham said he used his connections in racing to raise awareness, involvement and money for project.

His son, Ray J, recently graduated from high school. He is cancer-free. Evernham said he thought the Charlotte project was on schedule until he recently spoke to RMH officials in Chicago.

“I met the people here and they said, ‘We’re running behind,’ ” Evernham said. “Timing and fate let me know they needed to get it done.”