Danica Patrick helps launch Edward-Elmhurst 'Healthy Driven' campaign

There are many ways Danica Patrick tries to stay healthy.

She makes a conscious effort to eat good food.

"I buy organic now, as much as humanly possible, which is something I didn't used to do, I'd say even a year ago," she said.

She takes walks outside every day, thanks, in part, to her dog.

"Not only do they make you more active, but they also make you feel good," she said.

The professional race car driver also considers her job a sport.

"It might look easy watching it on TV and not being able to really see us in the car," she said. "It's definitely a physical job and I feel like to do my job well I need to be healthy and I need to be in shape."

The NASCAR racer was in Lombard Thursday to introduce Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare's new Healthy Driven campaign, which encourages people to take steps toward a more healthy life.

"Being healthy is something that is of the utmost importance to me. It has been for a very long time," Patrick said. "There's so many things that can go wrong with us that the only thing we really can control is what we put into our bodies and what we do with our bodies. I don't want to look back one day and wish I would have done a better job."

More than 1,200 people were estimated to be at the "Healthy Driven 500" health expo at the Westin Hotel. The event included free food, massages, games, giveaways and a short program where Patrick fielded questions about her personal life and decision to be the face of the campaign.

Some sitting near the stage were longtime fans of Patrick, including Edward Hospital employee Mary Fantozzi and her family. Fantozzi's 8-year-old daughter Ava even sported a pink and black Danick Patrick shirt that said "Girl Power."

"We've never been able to be this close to her, so this is exciting for us," Fantozzi said. "I like the fact that she's a female in a male-dominated sport, and I think that's a very empowering message for my daughter. I also like her perseverance. She went from Indy to NASCAR and it's been a hard transition. She hasn't been winning races, but I see her out there and her drive is so awesome."

Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare System CEO Pam Davis said Patrick was a great fit for Healthy Driven because she embodies the right qualities for a spokeswoman and is "a true trailblazer."

"She's fierce, a fighter, believes in doing the right thing and winning, but she's still really approachable and delightful. We think that sort of embodies the culture of Edward-Elmhurst," Davis said.

The campaign - which Davis said is meant to "inspire" and "empower" patients and communities - comes more than a year after Edward Hospital in Naperville merged with Elmhurst Hospital.

Patrick has agreed to donate up to $10,000 to support Edward-Elmhurst's efforts to combat childhood obesity in the suburbs. One dollar will be donated every time someone accepts a challenge on healthydriven.com.

Challenges on the website are divided into nutritional, physical and emotional categories. Participants select a category, then click to spin a wheel for a suggested goal, such as try a new healthy food, eat more fiber, do a brain teaser or quit smoking. If the challenge isn't a good fit, participants can spin again until they're ready to click "accept."

Patrick, who grew up in Roscoe, north of Rockford, is the only woman to have won an IndyCar Series race, the 2008 Indy Japan 300. Her third-place finish at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 is the best showing by a woman in the history of the legendary race.

• Daily Herald staff writer Justin Kmitch contributed to this report.

Health: Patrick will donate up to $10,000 to childhood obesity fight