“Do something each day to make the world a better place.”
That's been Rob Whiteley's mantra for as long as I've known him, from his days as general manager of Carl Icahn's Foxfield breeding operation to running his own Liberation Farm, and now living in semi-retirement on his New Jersey farm.
That phrase is a lot more than the signature on Whiteley's emails or the greeting on his voicemail. Whiteley truly has done something that has helped make the world a better place through the establishment in 1996 of the Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund. Nearly 750 students have received financial aid since the fund began, with over $1.65 million distributed to the scholars who are children of horse farm workers.
“It's been a team effort for 27 years now and it's still going strong,” Whiteley said. “It's a small group of horse people at the farm level coming together to make a difference.”
The HFWEAF, which depends solely on donations, was co-founded by Whiteley, Tom Evans of Trackside Farm, and Fred Seitz of Brookdale Farm.
“I'd been eight years developing Foxfield for Carl Icahn as a commercial breeding operation,” said Whiteley, “and during that time I was very taken by the hard work and dedication of our farm workers who cared daily for the mares, foals, and yearlings in all kinds of weather for not much pay and little recognition. I wanted to come up with a way to show meaningful appreciation for all they do. I had this idea of educational assistance for their children after high school.”
Whiteley bounced the idea off Evans and Seitz, who agreed that it was worth pursuing. Attorney Judge Wilson set the organization up pro bono as a 501(c)(3) charity and they began soliciting donations. Carl Pollard and the late William T. Young were among the early supporters and Pollard has remained close to the fund as an adviser and financial backer. His son, Stu Pollard, is on the all-volunteer organization's board of directors along with Evans, Whiteley, Wilson, Dan Pride of Godolphin, educator and horsewoman Mary Ryan, veterinarian Chet Blackey, and program coordinator Muffy Stuart. Evans succeeded Whiteley as president several years ago.
“Anyone who knows Tom Evans knows that when he is involved in something, it is done well and done right,” Whiteley said. “Tom has been all-in from the very beginning and has been incredibly important in managing much of the nitty-gritty year after year.
“Many years ago, Tom and I were lucky enough to find Muffy Stuart,” he continued. “She is a very warm but no-nonsense person – the quintessential earth mother. She coordinates our application process and is a liaison to the students throughout the year.”
The process includes in-person interviews with board members that can serve as confidence builders for the applicants, many of whom will be the first in their family to attend college or trade schools.
“We don't believe in just handing out money,” said Whiteley. “We provide personal connectivity and support to the scholars and Muffy is the person who stays in contact with the students throughout the year.
“The interviews give us an opportunity for a personal connection and the chance to say, 'We believe in you.' That, as it turns out, for some applicants can be as important as the money itself,” said Whiteley.
“The encouragement is very valuable to most of our scholars,” said Evans. “Many of them don't have anybody in their household to go to for perspective on the college experience. The interviews allow us to get to know them and to give some advice and counsel them as needed and when appropriate. It also establishes a level of accountability on their part. The scholarships are given on an annual basis. When the scholars come back each year, they have to show us their transcripts and submit an essay.
“It's gratifying to watch these kids grow up and mature when we talk with them each year,” Evans added. “You think back to the first time that we met them – wide-eyed and most of them a little intimidated – and two, three or four years later they have a lot of self-confidence.”
The fund's goals are to eliminate financial obstacles that would prevent the scholars from finishing school and get them through college with as little student debt as possible. To be eligible, the applicants must have a full-time horse farm worker in Kentucky as a parent and be accepted into a college or trade school program.
Many of the applicants plan to work part-time jobs while attending school.
“These kids grew up working,” said Evans, “a lot of them on horse farms. They have a good work ethic, but we want them to work less and focus on school more. We tell them school is going to be your No. 1 job.”
“We're in awe of the work ethic and determination of the scholars,” said Whiteley. “Children that apply to the program have fully internalized their parents' work ethic.”
Whiteley and Evans both had the opportunities for higher education themselves. Whiteley earned a doctorate degree in counseling psychiatry at the University of California-Berkeley and then headed the counseling psychiatry department at Rutgers University. Evans earned a degree at Vanderbilt University and then chose to get in the horse business. That decision was influenced by attending the 1973 Kentucky Derby, won by eventual Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
“From my perspective, if you look at the world's social problems and try to find solutions – what really needs to be done to make things better – you wind up with education,” said Evans. “We tend to throw money at symptoms and ease the symptoms, but that's hardly a long-term solution.”
The HFWEAF scholars have gone on to an array of professional positions both in and outside of the horse industry. They work in racing, breeding, veterinary medicine, health care, law, social work, teaching, and many other businesses.
“In my view, it's helped make the world a better place,” said Whiteley. “It's turned out to be a wonderful thing.”
“Rob has been the driving force since the very beginning,” Evans said of Whiteley. “He's always been a cheerleader for the little guy, and that's who the fund is set up to help, the farm workers in the trenches.
“If we can help one person get an education that makes a difference in their life, it's a worthwhile project,” Evans said. “That one person can make a difference for generations to come within that family.”
The Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund has been a difference maker for many families since its inception, and so have all the people behind it. As Rob Whiteley signs off on every email: “Be well … be kind. Do something each day to make the world a better place. Remember those who helped you along your way and PAY IT FORWARD!”
If you would like to make a difference, please consider a donation to the Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund.
Difference Makers is presented by Richard Pearson's Avion Law, a Newport Beach, Calif.-based firm that primarily represents owners in the private aviation sector. Avion Law has a “giving back” program supporting awareness campaigns and donating to charitable organizations in and outside of horse racing. For more information on Avion Law, click here.
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