ABOUT
1974 – “That day at the car was the beginning of the final twelve months I shared with my father, the first of the final lessons I learned from him along the way. It was the beginning of me learning, and fully understanding, the truth of my father, our lives, and myself.
The man who loved me most of all could not be honest with me about the mother he had taken me from, or about what was happening to him.
Our next summer together would be the last.
- Excerpt from “The Last Summer” – a Memoir
Max Siegel, born to bi-racial parents, survived a chaotic childhood with his music-executive father who was both at his side and consistently absent. Max’s childhood of kidnapping, violence, addiction and death threats played out against the backdrop of Motown, Beverly Hills, truck stops and the Vegas strip.
During Max’s time with his father, he took both Max and his younger sister from their mother, a blues singer from Indianapolis, and fled from the courts as he moved around the country. Max’s childhood effectively comes to a halt when his father dies at the age of 38, leaving the 12 yr. old boy fatherless. Eventually returning to a mother he hadn’t seen in five years and who he thought was dead, Max spent his teen years in the rough neighborhoods of Indianapolis. Despite the chaos and loss constantly present in his life, he excelled in school and sports and established a career against all odds that took him to the top of the music, auto racing and Olympic sports industries.
Because of these early life experiences the “ Max Siegel Youth Foundation” was born. The Foundation was established to reach out to kids who may be in the same challenging similar situations that Max found himself as a child.
MISSION
Our mission is to reach at risk children and to provide them hope, empowerment, and show them that regardless of their circumstances, they can grow into healthy, productive adults and have careers in exciting fields. We do this by utilizing sports and entertainment platforms to educate them, instill leadership values, and train and prepare them for success. This training is geared toward producing the next generation of sports and entertainment professionals. One of our most celebrated ways to develop sports leaders is through the Rev Racing Motor Sports Academy, outreaches in local communities held by those with the highest expertise within the industry, to mentor and educate students. Because every great leader should have a strong financial understanding, we will also provide financial literacy classes that teach students to be fiscally responsible.