JillAnn Meunier, a 14-year-old IUHS student, will sing “God Bless America” a cappella as part of the pre-race entertainment for the 2008 Kroger 200 NASCAR race benefiting Riley Hospital for Children. The race, with more than 25,000 people expected to be in attendance, will take place July 26 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. This will be the third time Meunier has performed for this event—the first time she sung at the race was in 2005, when she was just 12 years old.
Meunier, who lives in Bloomington, became involved with the Kroger 200 after performing at the Indiana University Dance Marathon to help raise money for Riley, where she was an outpatient receiving treatment for growth hormone deficiency. One of the dance marathon organizers knew an organizer of the Kroger 200 “Race for Riley” who had expressed a similar interest in having a “Riley kid” perform.
In addition to her singing, Meunier is also a published writer. Her reviews of Disney World entrees were included in the 2008 issue of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Her reviews of dessert options available at Disney World will be included in the 2009 guide.
Meunier is earning her high school diploma at a distance through Indiana University High School. After high school, she plans to attend college at the University of Evansville, Denison University, DePauw University, or Smith College. She then hopes to join the Peace Corps and begin writing books.
Indiana University High School (IUHS) is a virtual distance education program administered by the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies. The program offers more than 100 distance courses, including more than 65 dual-credit and 45 online courses. Students may take individual courses, or work toward their IUHS diploma or honors diploma. IUHS is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement and is a member of the North Central Association.
