(Edited press release)
On Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m., the Keene Entertainment Center will transform into a vintage jazz age "Racino Grande" complete with casino-style charitable gaming to benefit the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy.
This year’s fundraiser, hosted by the Ladies Guild, will feature a variety of table games, celebrity card dealers, cigar girls, marketplace vendors, and live and silent auctions. Avid supporter of the Chaplaincy and former governor of the Commonwealth, Brereton Jones and his wife Libby, will serve as honorary co-chairs of the event.
“With today’s economy, the requests for assistance have never been greater,” said Mary Lee-Butte, executive director of the Chaplaincy and Lexington’s first recipient of the Dogwood Dominion Award saluting unsung heroes in the horse industry. “There is a true urgency as we try to help unprecedented numbers of families in crisis. We are so pleased to have Gov. and Mrs. Jones involved in our Racino Grande. Publicly, they are always fighting to save jobs and protect resources tied to the horse industry. Privately, they have been generous in their support of the Chaplaincy and its mission to aid horse farm workers and their families.”
The Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy provides direct financial assistance, counseling, educational programs, and health services to Thoroughbred industry workers in Central Kentucky.
The Enrichment Center in Lexington offers counseling services, a computer lab, and classes ranging from English and farm safety to parenting and financial management. Other programs include Moms’ Night Out, Summer Fun Camp, bowling, picnics in the park, and the annual Festival of Christmas that provides Christmas dinners and gifts to hundreds of underprivileged children.
The BGFC is currently securing sponsors for its largest fundraiser of the year, an event that typically provides one-third to one-half of the operating budget for the Chaplaincy’s outreach to workers at farms, racetracks, and sales companies in Fayette and surrounding counties.
Airdrie Stud, Blanton’s Single-Barrel Bourbon, The Blood-Horse, Darley, Fasig-Tipton, Juddmonte, Keeneland Association, Peritus, Post Printing, Sallee Horse Vans, and WinStar have already made substantial commitments to the event. Several levels of sponsorships remain available, including: High Roller, Big Spender, Players Club, and a single Presenting Sponsor.
