Early on in his Racing For Kids ministry, Robbie Buhl entered a hospital room and instantly deflated the energy as if he held a pin to a balloon.

“I was wearing a white button down shirt and that’s not what you want to walk into a hospital room with because you’re identified as someone coming in with a needle or something (that could hurt),” says Buhl, the former Indy car driver who has been the national spokesman for the charity organization since its inception in 1990.

Understandably, wearing bright-colored polos is among the guidelines established through the years for the visits by drivers and Racing For Kids representatives to children’s hospitals in every Indy car market during race week. That total has surpassed 26,000 patients and 500 hospitals in a half-dozen countries.

“You’re sharing your energy and your love for what you do, and appreciation to be able to do what we do, with them,” Buhl says. “Every driver who has made a visit on behalf of Racing For Kids feels good for it.”

To brighten the day of a patient, and occasionally their parent(s), who might be facing surgery or are awaiting an uncertain diagnosis melts away all the cares of the racetrack. Attending physicians report that the visits play a role in each child’s recovery therapy.

“As a father of three, we’re fortunate to not have had the need for children’s hospital but to visit some of the children’s hospitals around the country and see some of the great things they’re doing and bring a smile to some faces and make a bad day a good day is a blessing to be a part of,” Verizon IndyCar Series team owner/driver Ed Carpenter says. “It’s great to see Racing For Kids still doing great work.”

Dr. William Pinsky, a pediatric cardiologist, founded the 501(c)3 organization and co-developed the cause-related marketing program, combining what he says are the importance of taking care of sick children and his passion for motorsports. The mission is to draw on the popularity of motorsports to bring attention and funding to the health care needs of children and child health institutions.

“There is no doubt that these IndyCar driver visits have a direct impact on the recovery of the kids they see,” Pinsky says. “The kids get better faster. Meeting celebrity drivers, sitting in a show car are exciting experiences that take their minds off of often difficult treatments and procedures, bring smiles to their faces, and give them hope.

“It is amazing to see that the parents often enjoy these visits as much as their hospitalized youngsters. Seeing their children smile and laugh, sometimes for the first time in days and even weeks also gives a big boost to their spirits.”

Through annual fund-raisers and contributions, Racing For Kids has donated more than $6 million to identified needs in hospitals or, in instances with no identified needs, to supplying children’s playrooms. Also, at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Point, Mich., the organization is underwriting the Racing For Kids Lactation Room in the Cotton Family Birthing Center.

“It is amazing to see the broad reach of this program, which (executive director) Pat (Wright), Robbie and I constructed 25 years ago,” Pinsky adds. “To see how many thousands of young lives we have touched and made better. And to enjoy the enthusiastic support of IndyCar racers, who are among the world’s best athletes.

“Just knowing this makes us want to work all the harder to ensure the impact of Racing For Kids for the next 25 years.”

Next week, the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race that is part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend again will support Racing For Kids. Through donations made by Toyota Motorsports and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., the Pro/Celebrity Race has generated more than $2 million on behalf of the race and its participants, benefiting Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

“It truly is amazing to think when Pat and Dr. Bill and I got together and talked about this I was in Indy Lights at the time,” said Buhl, whose great-great grandfather, Hiram Walker, founded the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. “For me, as a driver at the time, what a great way to give something back to what I love. Did I have any idea that we’d be doing it 25 years later? Maybe not; it’s something to be proud of.”