**Please see attached photo of Joanne K. Adams**
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Contact: Dan Silver
dsilver@nyrainc.com
NYRA’S JOANNE K. ADAMS HONORED WITH GARDEN CITY AND ELMONT COMMUNITY AWARDS
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Joanne K. Adams, Director of Community Relations for The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), has been named Garden City’s 2010 “Citizen of the Year” in addition to receiving an American Legion Award from the Elmont East End Civic Association.
In her role with NYRA, Adams serves as a liaison between NYRA and the local communities surrounding Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. She coordinates NYRA’s charitable giving, serves as NYRA’s representative to the local business communities, and oversees NYRA’s participation in community activities on and off track.
“Joanne has been the driving force behind all of our community outreach initiatives,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “I’m very proud of what she has accomplished as our liaison to neighboring communities, and can’t think of anyone more deserving of these prestigious awards.”
On Friday, April 23, at its annual Pineapple Ball to be held at the Garden City Hotel, the Garden City Chamber of Commerce will honor Adams as Garden City’s “Citizen of the Year” for 2010. She will be feted as the 39th recipient of this prestigious award established by the Chamber in 1970 to recognize volunteerism and outstanding service to the Village of Garden City and beyond.
Adams serves the Garden City community as the President of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc., as Past President and Board member of The Garden City Historical Society, Director of the Property Owners Association of the Garden City Estates, Inc., Board member of the St. Mary’s and St. Paul’s Development Fund, and she has served as a member of the Garden City Belmont Festival planning committee for the past ten years.
The Elmont East End Civic Association also presented Adams with an American Legion Annual Law and Order Award on Friday, March 12.
“We pick a person based on what they have done for the Elmont community,” said Pat Nicolosi, president of the Elmont East End Civic Association. “We pick a person who has gone beyond the normal expectations of one’s job description. Joanne is a great person who has shown extraordinary commitment to our community.”
Adams was appointed by NYRA to serve on the Saratoga Local Advisory Board and the Aqueduct Racetrack Local Advisory Board. She is a Board member of the Backstretch Employee Services Team of New York Inc. (“B.E.S.T.”) and she serves on the Board on the Elmont Coalition for Sustainable Development as well as the Elmont Business Improvement District Establishment Board.
A Sustaining Member of the New York Junior League and a volunteer for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Adams is also a Past President of the Fellowship of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City, and she was appointed by Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America to serve on the endowment committee for the Cathedral School.
During her years in Geneva, Switzerland, Adams served as President of the American Women’s Club and she was a founding member of the Geneva America Center.
Founded in 1955, and franchised to run thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks through 2033, NYRA boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s thoroughbred business which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2009, more than 1.6 million people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring nationwide off-track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races alone totals more than $9.3 million every race day. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including www.nyra.com, www.belmontstakes.com, and www.nyragroupsales.com.
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