'IT MEANS THE WORLD'

Star driver helps donate backpacks to students

FRANKFORT -- Before Carl Edwards emerged as one of NASCAR's hottest stars, he taught as a substitute teacher in his native Columbia, Mo., to make ends meet.

"The job worked out great because I didn't have a set schedule. It was day to day. They called you at 6:30 am., and you took the job if you wanted to. It gave me a lot of time to go racing," Edwards said.

On Thursday, Edwards, who drives the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion, turned the tables, taking time from his busy racing schedule to help promote a program that donates backpacks and school supplies to local students.

Each year, the Office Depot Foundation partners with national and local charities to donate more than 300,000 backpacks. By the end of this year, the 8-year-old program will have donated more than 1.8 million backpacks.

"That (number) speaks for itself there," Edwards told representatives of local schools and charities gathered at the Office Depot in Frankfort. "Thanks for everything you do to help these kids. It means the world."

"These backpacks are going to make a significant difference in the lives of many children," said Craig Nemitz, a Minooka resident who works for Feed the Children, one of the program's national partners. "It's reported right now in the United States 12 million children live below the poverty line. We can't do it by ourselves. Office Depot can't do it by itself. Carl can't even do it by himself.

"Through the celebrity and hard work of Carl Edwards, our job is a lot easier."

The former substitute teacher who now, as a full-time racer sits fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points, was modest: "I'm just here for the pictures and to thank the people that are actually doing the work. It's nice of them to include me."

Designated backpack recipients include, among others, the Chicago Public Schools, Summit Hill School District in Frankfort, Latino Organization of the Southwest and the Alternative Schools Network.

After the publicity event, Edwards signed autographs for 200 fans.

Jeff Plane, 17, of Morris and his mother, Tracy Mays, were first in line. They gathered at the store at 10:30 p.m. the previous night.

"We watched cars go by and slept," Plane said of how they passed the time.

Meeting a NASCAR driver, he said, was an event.

"You can say that you met him instead of just being a fan," he said.

Don Blecha, of Coal City, brought his entire family to the store for the benefit of his 8-year-old son, Brett, who likes Edwards because of the famous back flips the racer does after winning.

"I can do them, too," Brett said, an oversized No. 99 hat sliding down over his ears.

A day before, the family went to see driver Kasey Kahne in Joliet.

"We try to meet a couple drivers every year before the races," Blecha said.