Supporting Veterans, Service Members and 
First Responders

We would like to express our gratitude to the Checkered Flag Foundation. My husband is a disabled Veteran. He was at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord from February 7th – 14th with pneumonia. A sweet nurse brought him his nice Checkered Flag bag with all the great things inside. The cards really helped to bide his time. Everything was just so great, and it really means a lot to be remembered and honored this way.

Thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness. We are truly grateful.

I am a disabled Veteran and work for Cabarrus County EMS. I was recently hospitalized at Atrium Health Cabarrus. On Day 3 of my 8-day hospital stay I received one of the care packages that you all give the Veterans. When a representative came into my room and said she had something for me, I was confused and I am sure my face showed it. I am not used to receiving anything for being a Veteran or anything as a thank you. I was in total shock and awe when I received it! It gave me a little pick me up and made me smile as I was having a rough time.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the nice gesture and care package. It may be something small, but to me and I am sure the other Veterans who feel like they are forgotten or do not matter, this is a big deal. Keep doing good things and spreading love to other Veterans.

I was impressed with the acknowledgement of Veterans by Novant Huntersville Hospital. The special parking spaces, the Veteran volunteers, the recognition wall, and especially the Challenge Coin which I will add to my collection. Thank you.

The Brad Keselowski Checkered Flag Foundation’s support changed my life in a very tangible way. Because of your sponsorship, I was partnered with Pippi, and she has become far more than a service dog—she’s my constant companion, my teammate, and a member of our family.

Pippi has given me the confidence to travel, engage with people, and fully participate in experiences I might otherwise have avoided. Since being matched, she’s accompanied us as we’ve built our farm, worked with veteran farmers across South Carolina, and, most recently, spent the summer traveling throughout Scotland. Everywhere we go, she quietly does the job she was trained to do while reminding people of the incredible value service dogs bring to veterans.

Your investment wasn’t simply in training a dog. It was an investment in restoring independence, opening new opportunities, and improving my quality of life every single day. For that, my family and I are deeply grateful.

Thank you for believing in veterans and for making partnerships like mine with Pippi possible.

Sincerely,

Matt Rutter

P.S. from Pippi: Thank you for helping turn me into an internationally recognized Working Professional. I’ve now inspected farms across South Carolina and Scotland, evaluated countless beaches, and confirmed that Scotch eggs are excellent. More importantly, I get to spend every day doing exactly what I was trained to do—taking care of my human. I’d say that’s a pretty good return on your investment.

The Novant Health Veterans Business Resource Group (BRG) is deeply grateful to the Checkered Flag Foundation for its generous support, which has enabled meaningful recognition of veterans through commemorative challenge coins and the Veterans Honor Walls at Forsyth, Huntersville, Matthews, and Presbyterian Medical Centers. These efforts have created lasting moments of gratitude, strengthened connections among veterans, families, team members, and the community, and ensured that those who served feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Thank you for helping Novant Health honor their service and preserve their stories.

My name is Rob Maino and I am a Volunteer and Board Member for paws4people, a North Carolina based nonprofit that trains and places Service Dogs with people with disabilities. After introducing our organization to The Brad Keselowski Checkered Flag Foundation in 2024, I have found an organization of individuals with a shared passion for helping deserving military veterans and first responders who have made incredible sacrifices for our community and our country. paws4people has been honored to receive several grants from Checkered Flag Foundation that have helped make it possible to pair world class service dogs with our veteran clients through our paws4vets program. In 2026, Checkered Flag Foundation provided paws4people a grant to help place a Crisis Response Dog with a North Carolina Fire Department to assist firefighters through de-escalation tasks following difficult and traumatic calls. These Crisis Response Dogs are instrumental in improving both morale and mental well being of our first responder community. I have been impressed with Checkered Flag Foundation for their professionalism, shared mission and steadfast generosity.

Checkered Flag Foundation changed my life the day they gave me Kala. I was suicidal and in a very dark place I could not come out of alone. Kala gave me a purpose and a reason for living. She has brought so much joy and love to my life. Without the Checkered Flag Foundation, I never would have met this beautiful angel who saved my life and continues to keep me breathing every single day. I thank God everyday for what the Keselowski family and the foundation gave to me.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of Brad Keselowski and the Checkered Flag Foundation. Their generosity made it possible to launch our Veterans Recognition Program, and their continued commitment each year ensures its ongoing success.

Because of their support, we are able to recognize and honor more than 1,000 veterans who receive medical care at our hospital. The team at the Checkered Flag Foundation is wonderful to work with—responsive, supportive, and genuinely invested in making a difference.

We truly value this partnership and look forward to continuing our work with Brad Keselowski and the Checkered Flag Foundation for many years to come.