Annual Sponsor-A-Family Program Highlights Holiday Season for NY Backstretch Community

Of all the events, activities, programs, and services that the New York Race Track Chaplaincy provides to the backstretch communities at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course, the Christmas Sponsor-A-Family program closes out the year in a very special way that touches the hearts of donors and families alike.

Months of preparation culminate with the distribution of food, clothing, toys, and gifts for approximately 250 families just before Christmas each year. (This year, the distribution will take place at the new Chaplaincy Center at Belmont Park on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.)

“It is almost impossible to describe the joy and gratitude these recipients feel each year,” said Karen Chavez, the general manager of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. “Virtually all of the recipients are spending the holidays thousands of miles away from their place or birth and their original home and the donations to this program help them enjoy the holidays in a way that they could not otherwise afford.”

Chavez often hears directly from donors and how it “puts them in the Christmas spirit and helps them enjoy the holiday season a lot more.”

“They are all very glad to pitch in and we are eternally grateful for their humanitarian spirit,” she said.

In the Saratoga area, Stephen Sullivan, the owner of the Olde Bryan Inn restaurant in Saratoga Springs, provides a delicious dinner free of charge to recipients of the gifts which makes for a very special evening.

West Point Thoroughbreds and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation also serve as sponsors of the Sponsor-A-Family Program.

A year ago, the program was able to find sponsorship for every one of the families in need and Chavez said the Chaplaincy is striving to match that achievement in 2023.

Chaplaincy Photo

“It has been a challenging year in many ways, and we would love to bless all these families again this year,” she said.

Online donations for this program can be made on the Chaplaincy website at www.rtcany.org.
To donate by check, please make checks payable to the NY Race Track Chaplaincy and mail to:
NY Race Track Chaplaincy, PO Box 37191, Elmont, NY 11003.

The chaplaincy ministers to the needs of the backstretch community at the NYRA racetracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) as well as surrounding farms through a wide variety of programs. They include enrichment programs for children, teen mentoring, women's enrichment, social service, and recreational programs, as well as educational opportunities, and non-denominational religious services.

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Indy Jockeys Donate 80 Toys For Local Community

Each year, the jockey colony at Horseshoe Indianapolis comes together and brings in toys for less fortunate children in Shelby County. This year, the jockeys brought in a total of 83 toys which will be delivered to Court Appointed State Advocates (CASA). The toys will then be dispersed to kids in the local community who will have a little brighter Christmas thanks to the efforts of more than 30 jockeys at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“This is very special to all of us,” said Leading Jockey Joe Ramos, who brought in multiple bags for the cause. “A lot of us started off with very little at Christmas, so we know that feeling. We want to give back now that we are in a position to do so. We hope it brightens the day of many kids who might not otherwise have presents for Christmas.”

The toys range in age groups from toddlers to teens for both girls and boys. The jockeys picked out some of the hottest toys on the market to ensure all kids have a nice surprise during this holiday season.

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Santa to Appear at Sunland Saturday

Santa will make his annual pre-Christmas Eve visit to Sunland Park, as hundreds of area children will receive Christmas gifts as part of a giant toy giveaway organized by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse. Santa and his stagecoach will pull into the parking lot at Sunland Dec. 17 at 10 a.m.

More than 800 new toys are expected to be given away during the event to children selected by the local schools in Sunland Park, Santa Teresa, and La Union. The Christmas Toy Giveaway is a long-standing tradition of the Sheriff's Posse, who first began distributing toys to Sunland Park children during the 1960's.

This year's toy giveaway will also benefit The Armed Services YMCA and several local charities and shelters.

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‘Non Fungible Thoroughbreds’ Are 2021’s Worst Holiday Gift On Purpose

Every year, kids around the world beg their parents to get them a pony for Christmas. But horses—especially Lexington, Kentucky's, world-class Thoroughbreds—are super expensive and a huge responsibility. There's got to be a better* way! 

Just in time for the Holiday Season, VisitLEX is offering up for sale a collection of Non Fungible Thoroughbreds,” 10 digital images that look absolutely nothing like the beautiful analog horses that actually live in Lexington, the Horse Capital of the World. 

For a fraction of the cost of a real pony, you can buy your little helper one of these pixelated square JPGs of something that looks vaguely equine. 

Just imagine the look on your child's face when they finally lay eyes on an 8-bit “OpenSea Biscuit,” “Man o' Snore,” or “The Ohio of Horses.” 

Tears of joy, anyone? 

Unfortunately, you can't ride these horses. Or pet them. Or feed them. Or, like most NFTs, do much of anything with them. That's because they're a completely computerized representation of a horse that exists solely on every child's favorite online ledger: the blockchain!** 

On the plus side, Non Fungible Thoroughbreds require no feeding, training, or upkeep of any kind.

As seen in this launch VIDEO, kids really appreciate the practicality.*** 

The VisitLEX collection of Non Fungible Thoroughbreds is available now at NonFungibleThoroughbreds.com. And proceeds from the auction will be donated to Old Friends Farm, a nonprofit organization in Georgetown, Kentucky, that provides a dignified retirement for real Thoroughbreds once their racing and breeding careers are over. 

“NFTs are definitely hot right now,” said VisitLEX VP of Marketing Gathan Borden, “but they're no substitute for the real deal. You might not be able to get your kids an actual pony, but that doesn't mean you have to disappoint them. You can give them an experience they'll never forget with a convenient, affordable trip to Lexington to see the finest Thoroughbreds in the world.” 

*Worse. 

**This statement has not been verified. 

***They definitely won't.

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Verified by MonsterInsights