ARCA Team News - Milka Duno To Speak At Temperance Road And Douglas Road Elementary Schools

Duno's "Milka Way" program partners with the ARCA Racing Series to promote education

MOORESVILLE, May 11, 2011: ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards driver Milka Duno, who will be competing in the Menards 200 at Toledo Speedway this Sunday, will speak to over 1,000 students from Temperance Road Elementary School (Temperance, Mich.) and Douglas Road Elementary School (Lambertville, Mich.) on Thursday, May 12.

Duno, through her "Milka Way" program, inspires students of all ages to "Aim for the Stars" and achieve academic excellence. She has taken this message to children and students across the USA and around the world to help inspire and motivate them and to help them understand the importance of education. Duno expresses how a strong academic background will benefit them their entire life, in all aspects of their life and in any career they choose.

In addition to being one of the most successful female racecar drivers, Duno is also a qualified Naval Engineer who has four master's degrees- Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Aquaculture and Maritime Business- earning the last three degrees simultaneously.

"All our kids know is that there is a racecar driver coming and it is very stereotypical in that they are asking names of different male drivers," said Temperance Road Elementary School Principal Ken Graf. "We always want to let our female students know that they can do anything they want, and we are excited for our students to come in and see Milka. It's going to be really neat to see their reactions when they realize that she is not a male. ARCA Racing is right around the corner from our school so our kids see the sign all the time when coming and going from school. But to actually have an opportunity to meet Milka, it's just going to be a fun afternoon for us."

At both schools Duno will speak, then engage in a question and answer period and end her presentation by spending some time with the students taking pictures and signing autographs.

"We are tremendously excited about Milka coming to our school," said Rose Nearpass, Principal at Douglas Road Elementary School. "Our kids love racing and to have someone here who is racing, especially a woman, is going to be wonderful particularly because she is going to talk about the importance of education. We try to stress that wherever possible with our students and here is someone who is in this type of career and still feels that it is so important."

The ARCA Racing Series is partnering with Duno's "Milka Way" program to help spread the importance of education among the local community, the home to the ARCA Racing Series.

"Milka's visits to the schools in our backyard are key examples of why the ARCA Racing Series is fortunate to feature a competitor like her this season," said Griffin Hickman, Director of Communications for ARCA. "Her outreach will make a lasting educational memory for the children of this community, act as a stepping stone for their futures and along the way, expose them to the thrilling product of ARCA competition. We're pleased to join Milka in making this connection to the schools."