Donations from several of last season's sales raised over $100,000 to assist backstretch and farm worker-focused Thoroughbred Charities of America charities. The funds will be awarded to approved grant applicants during TCA's current granting cycle. Heading the 2020 participating sales were Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, November Breeding Stock Sale, and the January Horses of All Ages Sale, which offered buyers the opportunity to donate .05% of their total sale purchases to TCA via a voluntary contribution on their invoices. Fasig-Tipton also made a significant direct contribution in support of these fundraising efforts.
“Our workforce is vital to our industry and it is imperative that we take care of them,” said Mike McMahon President of TCA. “During the height of the pandemic, many of our human-focused charities incurred significant additional expenses to care for workers affected by COVID-19, so we asked Keeneland and Fasig for their help in raising money for these charities. We are very grateful to the buyers and sales companies for their contributions.”
Last year, TCA distributed grants totaled nearly $1,070,000. A total of 70 organizations were approved for a grant, including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on www.tca.org.
Additionally, the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods and managed by TCA, provided $79,900 in Coronavirus relief, including backstretch organizations, aftercare organizations and feed assistance programs.
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