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President Bush To Visit Kyle Petty's Children's Camp On Wednesday (North Carolina)
WSOCTV ^ | 10/16/06

Posted on 10/17/2006 5:21:45 PM PDT by Libloather

Bush To Visit Kyle Petty's Children's Camp On Wednesday
POSTED: 10:14 am EDT October 16, 2006

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- President Bush is making another visit to North Carolina.

The White House says Bush will visit an elementary school and a children's camp started by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty on Wednesday.

Bush also plans to have lunch with local community leaders before visiting Waldo C. Falkener Elementary School in Greensboro, where he's scheduled to talk about his No Child Left Behind initiative.

The president will then visit Victory Junction Gang Camp for ill and disabled kids in Randleman.

Officials at The White House say Bush will end his visit with a private Republican National Committee dinner at a home in Greensboro.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; campkyle; petty
Fundraiser headlined by Bush sold out for weeks
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By Mark Binker
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO— The political fundraiser to be headlined by President Bush on Wednesday will make Greensboro a player in some of the nation's most competitive congressional races.

Event organizers say they expect to raise a minimum of $600,000, which will be funneled through the Republican National Committee to key U.S. House and Senate contests throughout the country.

"I'd be very disappointed if we did less than that," said Jim Culbertson, a retired Winston-Salem businessman who led Bush's election efforts in North Carolina during the 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

He is helping to organize this event with New Breed CEO Louis DeJoy.

Seats at the dinner start at $1,000 a plate, and some guests will pay more, Culbertson said. About 600 people are expected and the event has been sold out for weeks, Culbertson said.

The fundraiser will be at the Irving Park home of DeJoy and his wife, Aldona Wos, a retired New York physician who is now ambassador to Estonia.

DeJoy did not return phone calls to his office Monday. But those who know him well say he is an ideal person to host this kind of fundraiser.

"He's a very successful businessman and has tremendous contacts through his business connections and is very active in the community," said Ed McMahan, a state legislator and one of five national Republican committee members from North Carolina.

McMahan, who has helped arranged similar fundraisers in Charlotte, and Culbertson explained that the Republican National Committee chooses the state and general area for an event.

Local organizers first have to identify a site. Then a well-heeled network of contacts comes into play when organizers have to find people willing to pay for tickets even before many of the details about the event can be given out.

President Bush will spend much of his day at what one might characterize as policy events, such as talking about the No Child Left Behind Act at an elementary school.

But the itinerary for his trip raised eyebrows among Bush's critics.

"He's coming to North Carolina but is not visiting either of the two congressional districts that are most competitive," said North Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jerry Meek. The 8th District, which winds its way from Charlotte along the state's border with South Carolina, and the 11th District in the western most part of the state are battlegrounds where polls say Republican incumbents face possible defeat. Meek said that Bush's waning popularity may have prompted organizers to keep him out of those fiercely fought districts.

A recent Elon University poll, for example, fixed the president's approval rating at 45 percent in North Carolina.

But Republicans brushed off that criticism Monday. "I'm not uncomfortable having him here," said Rep. Howard Coble, a Greensboro Republican whose race is not seen by pollsters as tight. "I don't know that it (the president's visit) helps. But it doesn't hurt and it might help. There are a lot of his supporters who are simply not happy with Iraq. I'm not happy about it. But that doesn't mean I dislike my president."

Coble will be among donors from Charlotte, Raleigh and the western portions of the state at the DeJoys' house, which they bought in 2004 for $5.9 million. The house was built in 1936 for one of the patriarchs of the Cone textile family.

But the 10,900-square-foot house won't have to accommodate all 600 expected guests.

"We'll have some of the social functions in and around his house, but the dinner itself ... will be in a very, very large tent," Culbertson said.

He said Greensboro was chosen for several reasons, including that it was large city with many Republican supporters and central enough for visitors from across the state to reach.

DeJoy and Wos moved to Greensboro in 1998. As head of New Breed, DeJoy runs one of the Triad's biggest but maybe least-known companies. The operation provides help managing warehousing and shipping from government customers like the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Marine Corps and for private companies such as Verizon.

Neither DeJoy nor Wos have been shy about their strong Republican ties.

Both have given thousands of dollars to Bush as an individual candidate and to the RNC.

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061017/NEWSREC0101/61016032/1005/NEWSREC0101

1 posted on 10/17/2006 5:21:46 PM PDT by Libloather
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To: Libloather

NASCAR bump! The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a class operation.


2 posted on 10/17/2006 5:26:36 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Prayers for our patriot brother, 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub. Brian, we're all pulling for you!)
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To: Libloather

The Petty family has always helped others. And never asked for any credit in return.


3 posted on 10/17/2006 6:05:58 PM PDT by CrazyIvan (If you read only one book this year, read "Stolen Valor".)
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To: NonValueAdded; CrazyIvan; Howlin; Liz
Dubya also popped in to Stamey's BBQ -


U.S. President George W. Bush greets diners at Stamey's barbeque restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, October 18, 2006. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)


President Bush jokes with reporters before participating in a tire changing activity with campers during a visit to Victory Junction Gang Camp, a center for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, in Randleman, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


U.S. President George W. Bush reacts after losing a tyre changing competition against children on a mockup NASCAR during his visit to Victory Junction gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina,October 18, 2006. Bush visited the center for children with chronic medical conditions, set up by NASCAR racer Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)


U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and NASCAR racer Kyle Petty go fishing with Madison Lee (L) and Hank Gissom at Victory Junction gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina,October 18, 2006. Bush visited the center for children with chronic medical conditions, set up by NASCAR racer Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)

4 posted on 10/19/2006 3:28:32 AM PDT by Libloather (*Bubba & *Hillary - hardly innocent until proven completely guilty...)
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To: Libloather

Thanks for the update and the photos, ll. Too bad so many people skipped over the thread.


5 posted on 10/19/2006 6:08:07 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (Prayers for our patriot brother, 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub. Brian, we're all pulling for you!)
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To: Libloather; NonValueAdded; CrazyIvan
My personal favorite:

Two of my favorite people!!

I'm going to get that one autographed this weekend!

6 posted on 10/19/2006 9:05:07 AM PDT by Howlin (Why Won't Nancy Pelosi Let Louis Freeh Investigate the Page Scandal?)
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