The mission of the Child Rescue Network is to search out and find missing and exploited children across our country as we travel to our race destinations from state to state.
We are champions for promoting a new thought process, fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. Bring light to darkness making the invisible visible again. Through our professional racing efforts and our partnerships we can achieve this mission with our interactions as we travel across the country.
GTN Motorsports, a professional NHRA-affiliate drag racing team based in Denham Springs, Louisiana, and driver Harold Laird, are dedicated to this mission.
Our Journey – by Harold Laird
The foundation for my journey was set fifteen years ago, and I had no idea of what was coming down the road. I have always heard things happen for a reason and GOD has a plan, we may not know it when we are going through certain things but He does.
So what was the connection between racing and finding missing children? What is the positive outcome the two gain after joining forces? Let me tell you a little about my journey.
I put up a long hard fight to gain success after many years of hard work. People behind the scenes, on the road, across the country and thirty years later, led to a National Victory, winning the NHRA “US Nationals” at Indianapolis. You might ask what is so special about the US Nationals? Well, to sum it up, it is the cross roads to the middle of America where the best drivers from all over the nation take their shot at winning the super bowl of racing. Becoming legendary, iconic, your name will always be associated to winning an “INDY” event.
When Winning the 2007 US Nationals, Runner up at the fall Nationals in Dallas, being a Semifinalist in Las Vegas and Ranking number seven in the world, I thought it couldn’t get any better. Then, I received a phone call from the State of Louisiana, wanting to interview me about my success. They were looking for someone to represent Louisiana and its tourism in a cross country race to help find missing and exploited children. It was called “The Fire Ball Run”, my heart was bursting with pride and I said, “It would be an honor to do so.”
Fireball Run was a 3,500 mile journey from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Grand Rapides, Michigan, with forty teams and a missing child’s photo on each performance car. The pictures of the children on the cars worked better than I could have imagined. The interaction of these cars scrambling back and forth throughout each city, trying to find iconic marquees, with fans watching all of this exciting action brought attention to the light of missing children.
Alexjones.biz, in September 2008 wrote, “This three million dollar awareness campaign was hugely successful last year when the rally traveled from Orlando, FL to Beverly Hills, CA. Of the 65 children featured last year, 23 have since been rescued and reunited with their families and guardians.” WOW. Have you ever heard of a program having those kinds of results?”
The next year in 2009, I was in an accident at the Mid-West Nationals in St. Louis. In the second round of eliminations everything was going good on the run, I was leading out front and the car got loose at about 1,000 feet down the track. The car made a hard move towards the wall and then on its roof at 238 mph, it all ended there! Fortunately, I was uninjured in this high impact crash. I may have been out from behind the wheel for the last fourteen years, but I helped and consulted with many teams during this time frame.
I have always said I wish someone would use me for my knowledge so I can get back to racing. However, that would not come to pass. I made up my mind to go back to racing on a National level in 2024. “But this time with a PURPOSE!” I just didn’t know the purpose or the drive that would lead me to go racing again. My wining really doesn’t help anyone but me; I have come to understand this. So, I asked “What can I do with the Gifts and Talent GOD has given me to make a difference?”
“The new journey began”, and I decided to start the nonprofit “Child Rescue Network” myself. Based on the knowledge and experience that I gained representing Louisiana and its search for missing children I am ready. The vision of Child Rescue Network will be carried across the country to each race destination through its 24,000 mile journey on its quest to win a National Championship.
How, you ask?
We will display a missing child’s photo and information on each side of the transporter, which will be seen on the interstate system by thousands of motorists. The child featured will be from the geographical area through which we are traveling to each race destination. Along the way we will be handing out flyers and posters of these missing children, distributing tens of thousands of these. During each race we will display a child’s photo on the race car and have additional information including photos of other missing children from the area in which we are competing in. These will be distributed among thousands of spectators at each competition. We will also be scheduling interviews with broadcast networks in each area, granting this greater exposure to this global humanitarian effort. We hope people can find these missing children and bring them home. We aim to restore humanity and goodwill on a national level and global scale, as well.
Thank you for taking time to read about my journey. I hope you will be riding along as we take on this challenge.
Sincerely,
Harold Laird
