{"id":295452,"date":"2026-05-01T20:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/295452\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T20:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:05:07","slug":"racing-for-kids-honors-the-late-les-unger-with-50000-gift-to-miller-childrens-womens-hospital-child-life-program-brand-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/295452\/","title":{"rendered":"Racing for kids honors the late Les Unger with $50,000 gift to Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital Child Life Program \u2022 Brand stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Racing For Kids<\/a> has donated $50,000 to the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program<\/a> at Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital<\/a>, honoring the life and legacy of Les Unger, whose more than 25 years of philanthropic support helped benefit the Child Life Program at Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

Leaders from Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital, along with Child Life specialists and representatives from Racing For Kids, gathered on campus to recognize Unger\u2019s enduring impact and celebrate a partnership rooted in compassion and care for children and families. Racing For Kids representatives included J. Patrick (Pat) Wright, CEO; Debby Wright, COO; Doug Fregin, businessman, philanthropist and Toyota Pro\/Celebrity Race driver; and Kelly Wirchak, Unger\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n

Unger played a pivotal role in establishing the Toyota Pro\/Celebrity Race, a philanthropic motorsports tradition that for decades generated significant charitable support for patients and their families at Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital. Through that legacy, Racing for Kids has continued its commitment to the Child Life Program, which supports children and families as they navigate the emotional challenges of hospitalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cLes Unger had such a genuine heart for children and for Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s,\u201d said Rita Goshert, director, Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program, Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital. \u201cHe believed deeply in the work our Child Life team does to bring comfort, understanding and hope to children and families during some of their most difficult moments. We are honored to carry his legacy forward through this meaningful support.\u201d<\/p>\n

The donation will directly support the Child Life Program, which plays a vital role in Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital\u2019s family\u2011centered model of care. Certified child life specialists provide age\u2011appropriate preparation for medical procedures through medical play, emotional support during treatment, therapeutic play, and coping strategies designed to reduce fear and stress for young patients and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor more than 25 years, Les Unger\u2019s leadership and generosity touched the lives of countless children and families at Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital,\u201d said Robert Gunsalus, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation. \u201cWe are deeply grateful to Racing For Kids for honoring his memory in a way that will continue to make a meaningful difference for our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gift reflects a long\u2011standing partnership between Racing For Kids and Miller Children\u2019s & Women\u2019s Hospital, honoring Unger\u2019s vision of using motorsports as a force for good and ensuring that his commitment to children lives on through the compassionate work of the Child Life Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Racing For Kids has donated $50,000 to the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children\u2019s &…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132,2224],"class_list":["post-295452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-memorialcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}