Tue, 15 May 2012, 13:47 PM Porter and Chester Announces Sponsorship with Jay Blake and His "Follow A Dream" Racing

Courtesy of

ROCKY HILL, Conn. -- Team for 2012 for 2012

Todd Veney

Porter and Chester Institute, Inc. (PCI) announced today a product sponsorship with Jay Blake's Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car racing team, competitors on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) tour.

In May 1997 Blake suffered an industrial accident that resulted in his blindness while serving as the head mechanic for a transportation company. While enrolled in an intensive rehabilitation program, Blake began to follow his dream of owning his own professional auto racing team. Turning his dream into a reality, Jay combined his renewed participation in drag racing with his desire to spread his true-life success by inspiring others to accomplish their goals through the power of positive thinking, self-determination, and teamwork. Jay leads his team of racing professionals in NHRA competition, where they finished the 2010 and 2011 season ranked seventh in the national standings.

"Follow A Dream" and Jay's "Dare to Dream" are perfect complements to how PCI inspires students and help guide their dreams of a career and turn them into a reality," Said Eddie Bonnell, Campus Director for Porter and Chester's Woburn campus.

"We're extremely excited that Porter and Chester has decided to support our efforts," said Blake. "PCI provides its students a great educational experience, and we're just happy to be part of that."

The PCI backed Follow A Dream/Permatex Funny Car is a 2008 Chevrolet Impala SS powered by a 526-cubic-inch Hemi engine that produces more than 3,000 horsepower. Todd Veney is the driver. For more information about "Follow A Dream", log on to www.followadream.org.

"We are partnering with Jay and "Follow A Dream" for several reasons," said John Goldbeck, Campus Director for Porter and Chester's Stratford campus. "Back in 2006 when I first met Jay and heard his story, I was incredibly inspired and wanted to bring his story to our students. I invited him to an event where he met with many students and again was an amazing inspiration, sharing his example of the desire, drive and determination we try to inspire in all of our students. Porter and Chester Institute's Automotive program has worked with Jay's Follow a Dream organization and with his sponsor Permatex doing training clinics for our students and staff, we felt it would be a perfect relationship to build on."

During the 2012 season, the team plans to race in 13 events - five regionals and eight nationals - including the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals (Gainesville, Florida), O'Reilly Spring Nationals (Houston), Mac Tools U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis), and Auto-Plus Nationals (Reading, Pennsylvania).

About Porter and Chester Institute
Porter and Chester Institute is a Career Training technical school with nine locations throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts in the United States, featuring ten different career programs. For more information, please visit www.PorterChester.com or call (800) 870-6789.

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