Deacons of Deadwood help racing legend Shirley Muldowney present $10K to teenage cancer survivor

HOUSTON – Continuing a colossal string of charitable outings this spring, the Deacons of Deadwood Motorcycle Club helped drag racing icon Shirley Muldowney present a check for $10,000 to Tacey Raulerson of College Station, Texas, Sunday at the 29th annual NHRA SpringNationals.

Raulerson, 16, has successfully beaten cancer twice in her young life, and although she lost her sight to the disease when she was just 7, her spirit and smile made her a favorite among the members of the locally-based club, which has distributed more than $2 million to Houston-area charities since its inception.

“Shirley’s Kids, a charity headed by Ms. Muldowney that seeks out children in need at a stop on the NHRA tour, reached out to us a few months ago to see if one of the charities we support may have a recipient that not only loves drag racing but one that could use a little financial help,” said David Reed, who serves on the Deacons of Deadwood charity committee. “Well, we began our search and quickly zeroed in on Tacey through Camp Quality. We learned of her love for racing because it’s a sport she can hear, smell, and feel, and it became obvious that she was a perfect fit.

“We collectively decided to surprise Tacey and her family with the money, so all she knew until the big check showed up was that she was having a VIP day at the races with Shirley Muldowney.”

The Deacons made quite an entry to the race with 60 motorcycles and 92 members and guests making the ride from downtown Houston to Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas. Tacey was on hand to greet the riders at the main gate, and they walked in as a group to the main stage on the starting line, where they were met by Muldowney and several other drag racing stars, including Houston’s own Erica Enders, the reigning two-time world champion.

“Tacey has been so excited about this day that she went to bed extra early last night so she would be ready,” said her mother, Tammy Raulerson. “She loved hearing the motorcycles arrive, and she kept saying, ‘The Deacons are here!’ We’ve met these wonderful and caring men before at Camp Quality, so we know them well.

“When we got to driver intros, she was greeted by so many drivers and she knew them all by the sound of their voices. She was especially excited to meet Erica because she loves Texas A&M and she knew Erica went there. She also started shaking when John Force himself came over to say hello. It was just a magical moment.”

NHRA President Peter Clifford, himself a two-time cancer survivor, also shared words of encouragement with Tacey. “You are such a strong person,” Clifford said. “You’ve already shown that nothing can hold you back and you have all of our support and friendship.” Clifford then thanked Deacons President Geoff Seaman for his club’s help in making it such a special day for Tacey and her family.

Tacey was then brought on stage with Muldowney and introduced to the crowd, including all of the Deacons who surrounded the stage. After telling the crowd of Tacey’s story, an announcement was made that there was one more surprise. That’s when Seaman and Shell/Pennzoil executive John Chiboroski emerged with a giant check made out to Tacey.

“I almost collapsed,” Tammy said. “We’ve been in the process of remodeling parts of the house to make it easier for Tacey to get around and then suddenly our air conditioner died on us. We found out we needed about $5,000 to fix everything. Well last night I prayed to God to find it in His mercy to help us, and not even 12 hours later my prayers were answered by Shirley Muldowney and the Deacons of Deadwood. We feel so completely blessed.”

The Deacons of Deadwood M/C boasts a diverse membership of executives and blue-collar workers bonded by a love of motorcycles and donating their time and talents to bettering their community. A registered 501(c)3 charity, Deacons of Deadwood has distributed millions of dollars to Houston-area charities since its inception in 2001.