RANDLEMAN, N.C., May 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Victory Junction, a children’s camp committed to enriching the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camp experiences, unveiled the Smithfield Foods Archery Center. The camp’s new indoor facility is funded by a $500,000 gift from the Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc.
“Our partnership with Smithfield is so important to Victory Junction because we simply can’t serve 10,000 kids a year without the help of our generous partners and donors,” said Chad Coltrane, chief executive officer of Victory Junction. “We now have an amazing indoor venue for archery, open in time for the start of the 2018 summer camp sessions. We look forward to watching our campers of all ages and abilities enjoy this fun and popular activity.”
The new and improved facility provides a safe gathering place for campers to learn archery, make friends, and enjoy the adventures and experiences of camp life. The Smithfield Foods Archery Center replaces a former outdoor facility that was subject to flooding and was unavailable during inclement weather.
“Thanks to the vision and compassion of the Petty Family, Victory Junction is changing lives and we’re delighted to be a part of it,” said Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “Smithfield is proud to support Victory Junction with the gift of the new archery center. We hope this new facility inspires campers to realize their own unique and incredible abilities.”
Victory Junction was the dream of Adam Petty, a fourth-generation race car driver from the famous Petty Family and a rising star in the sport. After Adam's tragic passing from a racing accident in 2000, the Petty Family realized his dream of a camp to serve children with serious medical conditions through the opening of Victory Junction in 2004.
“The Smithfield Foods Archery Center is a tremendous addition to Victory Junction and we’re grateful to Smithfield for making this new facility a reality for our campers,” said Richard Petty, NASCAR legend and Victory Junction board member. “For nearly 15 years, Victory Junction has been the embodiment of everything Adam dreamed of in a camp to serve children with challenging medical conditions. I know Adam would be proud and gratified to see what Victory Junction has become and to see the indoor archery facility that we celebrate today.”
For more information about Victory Junction and its camp programming, visit victoryjunction.org .
For more information about Smithfield’s charitable efforts, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com/key-outreach-efforts/smithfield-foundation .
About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield ® , Eckrich ® , Nathan's Famous ® , Farmland ® , Armour ® , Farmer John ® , Kretschmar ® , John Morrell ® , Cook's ® , Gwaltney ® , Carando ® , Margherita ® , Curly's ® , Healthy Ones ® , Morliny ® , Krakus ® and Berlinki ® . Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com .
About Victory Junction Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children, ages six to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Co-founded by Kyle Petty and his family in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, North Carolina. Victory Junction exists to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment, always at no charge to children and their families. Since the camp’s inception, thousands of children and families have received not only a circle of support but experiences thought to only be possible by healthy children through a variety of programs; onsite through summer and family weekend camps and offsite through the camp’s outreach program, Reach. Victory Junction is a member of the SeriousFun Children’s Network of Camps founded by Paul Newman, and is accredited by the rigorous guidelines of the American Camping Association. To learn more, please visit www.victoryjunction.org .
Contact: Diana Souder Smithfield Foods, Inc. (757) 357-1675 dsouder@smithfield.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...db789c081f
