humberto chavez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Heider Family Foundation Issues Challenge Grant for Chaplaincy Summer Enrichment Program

Scott and Cindy Heider and their Heider Family Foundation have issued a $10,000 matching grant to raise money for the New York Race Track Chaplaincy's Summer Enrichment program, the focus of a TDN feature earlier this week.

The Chaplaincy started the summer program 10 years ago to allow families to stay together when racing shifts to Saratoga, sending the children to local summer camp programs while the parents work. “The kids love it,” Humberto Chavez, New York Chaplain for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America told the TDN last week. “They get out of city life and get into the country.”

Scott Heider saw the article, sent it to his wife, Cindy, and the pair decided to jump in and help.

“We race under Heider Family Stables, and we also have a foundation here in Omaha, the Heider Family Foundation,” Cindy explained. “We work with a lot of different organizations, whether it's under-served youth, education, a little bit in the arts, mental health, and over the years have supported some organizations in racing, like the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, programs on the backstretch, Blue Grass Farms Charities, and New Vocations. We like to support the good the work that everyone is doing; they're working really hard, and helping a lot of people working really hard that don't have great support systems. Scott saw the article, forwarded it to me, and we saw that the chaplaincy was doing some great work in the summer program. So between us, we said we should help them a little bit. and then when I talked to (General Manager) Karen (Chavez) today, I said to her, `I don't know if it's helpful to do a match, but if so, this is the time to do it.”

Said Chaplain Humberto Chavez, “We are grateful to TDN for allowing us to speak from the heart about what this program means for our families. The kids have the opportunity to experience the outdoors, make new friends, take on new challenges, and develop confidence in themselves and their abilities. We have found that the impact of participating in the summer program is lifelong and we often hear from the kids, now adults, who have come through the program what a difference it has made in their lives. We are thankful for the widespread support from the industry and individuals.”

Said Cindy Heider, “There are people who don't have access to help, and a lot of people don't want to ask for help. But it's important to reach out to those people, especially the kids.”

Asked why they were moved to give, she said simply, “It's not a why. It's a why not.”

The Heiders will match up to $10,000 that is raised from now through July 6. To donate, visit the Chaplaincy webpage's summer enrichment program page by clicking here.

All donations made up until July 6 will count toward the challenge grant.

The post Heider Family Foundation Issues Challenge Grant for Chaplaincy Summer Enrichment Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Tickets, Sponsorships Available for NY Race Track Chaplaincy Brunch

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy, an organization devoted to serving the community of stable workers and their families who make Thoroughbred racing possible at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course, have announced that tickets and sponsorships for its 16th annual brunch in Saratoga Springs are now available.

The brunch, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. EDT, will once again be held at the Saratoga National Golf Club. Tickets and sponsorships can be obtained online by visiting www.rtcany.org. or by calling 516-216-5196.

“This increasingly popular event brings together hundreds of members of the racing community in a joyful setting and, more importantly, allows the chaplaincy to continue to offer a wide variety of services and programs for our backstretch community and their families,” said Lead Chaplain and Executive Director Humberto Chavez.

The honorees at this year's brunch, who will receive the Marylou Whitney award, will be Tracy and Todd Pletcher for their longtime support of the chaplaincy and its programs.
Previous honorees have included: Andy Serling, Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Irad Ortiz Jr.

The brunch is one of two major fund-raisers hosted by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy in Saratoga Springs each summer. The other is charity basketball game pitting horsemen versus jockeys on Thursday, Aug. 4 at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center.

The post Tickets, Sponsorships Available for NY Race Track Chaplaincy Brunch appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Racetrack Chaplaincy Seeking Donations for Summer Camp Program

The mission of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy is to better the lives of the some 3,500 people who care for the horses at the NYRA racetracks, which, among other things, means finding an outlet in the summer for the children of the backstretch workers during the Saratoga meet. It's a huge need given the obstacles backstretch families encounter when it comes to how to care for their kids, but the Racetrack Chaplaincy has come up with an answer. Some 10 years ago, the group started the Saratoga Enrichment Program, which places the children of Saratoga backstretch workers into local summer camps during the meet.

“The kids love it,” said Humberto Chavez, New York Chaplain for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America . “They get out of city life get into the country.”

When racing moves to Saratoga, the backstretch workers have to adjust. There is no housing for families on the Saratoga backstretch, which leaves only a few options, one of which is a campground near the track made available by a local church. But that doesn't solve what to do with the children. During much of the rest of the year, they go off to school during the week while their parents work their backstretch jobs. With schools closed during the Saratoga season, parents sometimes have to choose between working or staying home to take care of their children.

“What they do is the mom or dad goes up to work in Saratoga and kids and the other parent stays back home here at Belmont or in Florida or Kentucky,” Chavez said. “That was the only other option. In that case, the family component wouldn't be together. As a chaplaincy, we believe that families need to stay together. Families had traditionally always been very cautious about bringing their kids with them to Saratoga because of the restrictions of the track.”

To have the camp option solves much of the problem. The workers can go about their day knowing that their children are being looked after and having fun.

The chaplaincy has partnered with five camps and accepts children as young as six and as old as 14. Chavez said that in a typical year about 25 kids will sign up for the program.

“The highlight of it last year came with a young girl who had never owned or ridden a bike,” said New York Race Track Chaplaincy president Ramon Dominguez. “We partnered with Saratoga Shredders, which has a youth mountain bike program. They donated bikes for each individual child in our program. They taught this girl how to ride a bike. That was her highlight and our highlight. That's what we're here for, to give them an experience that would be hard to have back home in a city environment.”

The Saratoga Enrichment Program is wholly dependent on donations and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Thoroughbred Charities of America, and NYRA are among those who help out. The group also depends on donations from individuals, and Chavez admitted that donations “have been a little light” this year.

“We get donations from individuals who love what we do and want to give a child a good opportunity to spend a good summer in Saratoga and keep the nucleus of the family together,” Chavez said. “We need people to help. It's for the kids and it helps their mons and dads who are working really hard in the industry.”

To donate to the Saratoga Enrichment Program click here.

The post Racetrack Chaplaincy Seeking Donations for Summer Camp Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Pletchers To Be Honored By NYRTC

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTC) will honor Tracy and Todd Pletcher for their generous and continued support of the New York backstretch community at its 16th Annual Fundraising Brunch, which will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York.

“This honor means the world to Tracy and to me,” said Todd Pletcher. “Our record reflects a team effort and the members of the backstretch are key members of our team. The New York Chaplaincy does great work serving those who care for our horses and we are humbled to join their list of honorees.”

“The Pletchers have demonstrated a deep commitment to the backstretch community, and their support has come in many forms over the years,” said Ramón Dominguez, President of the Board of the NYRTC. “We are thrilled to honor them in this way for all they have done and all they continue to do.”

Previous recipients have included Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Irad Ortiz Jr. and Andy Serling.

Additional information, including tickets and sponsorships for the event, may be found at www.rtcany.org.

The post Pletchers To Be Honored By NYRTC appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post