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Marc Holliday, chairman of The New York Racing Association, and his wife, Sheree Holliday, were honored Wednesday at the New York Race Track Chaplaincy’s 19th Annual Fundraising Brunch in Saratoga Springs. The pair received the John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award in recognition of their support for the New York backstretch community.
The event was held at Saratoga National Golf Club. Heather Mabee, daughter of Marylou Whitney, helped present the award.
Hollidays recognized for support of backstretch workers and families
According to NYRA, the Hollidays have supported several Chaplaincy programs, with a particular focus on its weekly food pantry. That support continued through the COVID-19 pandemic.
NYRA also said the Hollidays organized and sponsored a visit to SL Green’s SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for more than 85 children and family members from the backstretch community.
In remarks cited by NYRA, Marc Holliday said, “The backstretch community is the lifeblood of any racetrack and Sheree and I are proud to support the vital work of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy.”
Holliday is also a thoroughbred owner and breeder. Outside racing, he and his team at SL Green formed the Food1st Foundation in 2020. NYRA said the foundation has raised nearly $9 million and delivered nearly 1.1 million meals to vulnerable New Yorkers and first responders.
Chaplaincy marks 40 years and renames student support program
The brunch also included another announcement from the Chaplaincy. Terry Finley said the organization’s graduate support program has been renamed the Len and Lois Green Stride Program.
The program begins in ninth grade and supports high school students and their families through graduation and college preparation.
The New York Race Track Chaplaincy is celebrating its 40th year of operation. It serves the backstretch and farming communities at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, offering children’s, teen, and women’s enrichment programs, social services, educational and recreational programming, and non-denominational religious services.
For New York racing, the event underscored the support network around the workers and families who help keep the state’s major racetracks operating.
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Source: As reported by nyra.com.
