Thursday, August 2, 2012

EQUINE ARTIST HIGHLIGHTS BENEFITS OF SARATOGA RACE COURSE COMMUNITY OUTREACH BOOTH

**Mary Chamberlain, local equine artist and track greeter, smiles before two of her works, “Big Brown” (left) and “Sand”. Chamberlain, who has cerebral palsy and is a client of Living Resources, participated in today’s community outreach booth at Saratoga Race Course. Sponsored by The New York Racing Association, Inc, the booth affords local charities, organizations and cultural institutions like Living Resources the opportunity to share their mission and collect donations on-track at no cost.**

                                        

 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

 

Contact: Dan Silver

dsilver@nyrainc.com

 

Mark Bardack

mbardack@edlewi.com

 

 

NYRA hosts award-winning artist, track greeter with developmental disabilities at Saratoga Race Course community booth

 

Event featuring equine artist from Living Resources underscores benefits of community booth hosted by The New York Racing Association, Inc. 

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today welcomed local equine artist and track greeter Mary Chamberlain to its community outreach booth at Saratoga Race Course.

 

Chamberlain’s paintings were on display at the community outreach booth from the Carriage House Arts Center, a nationally recognized art instruction program for artists with disabilities developed by the Capital Region non-profit organization Living Resources. Chamberlain has cerebral palsy.

 

Today’s appearance by Living Resources was reflective of the opportunity that NYRA’s community booth at Saratoga Race Course affords local charities, organizations and cultural institutions to share their mission and collect donations on-track at no cost. More than two dozen organizations have participated each year since NYRA first introduced the booth at Saratoga in 2009.

 

“We are proud to offer our support to such worthy organizations as Living Resources,” said Joanne K. Adams, NYRA’s Director of Community Relations. “We began the community outreach booth three years ago as part of our continuing efforts to serve as an engine to raise awareness for non-profits. We are especially proud of NYRA’s ability to serve as a platform that generates hundreds of thousands of dollars over the entire racing season for charitable organizations.”

 

Living Resources is a local non-profit organization dedicated to providing life-enhancing services to more than 1,200 individuals with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries. Living Resources was the featured non-profit organization of the day at the community outreach booth, where two of Chamberlain’s acrylic equine paintings, "Sand" and "Big Brown", were on display. Greeting cards featuring her work were available for sale to track patrons.

 

“Mary is an inspiration to us all,” said Living Resources Chief Executive Officer Fredrick W. Erlich. “She has been a valued participant of the Carriage House Arts Center for over 10 years. We are especially appreciative of NYRA for giving us the opportunity to showcase Mary’s art as well as the important work of all of our programs through the community outreach booth.” 

Established in 1997, the Living Resources Carriage House Arts Center has been highly recognized in the Capital District and nationally as a quality art instruction program for artists with disabilities. Over the years, students have won awards at numerous art shows including the State Wide Juried Art Show Voice!, The Autism Society Gala, The NYSACRA Conference, Sunnyview Hospital’s Viewpoint Gallery, and BUILT.

 

Other community outreach booth participants this season at Saratoga Race Course include: Foal Project; Operation Adopt-A-Soldier; Northeast Child & Parent Society; Race for Education; SPAC; Bethesda House; Saratoga Senior Center; Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation; PDJF; American Steeplechase Injured Jockeys Fund; Museum of Dance; Shaker High School Robotics; American Heart Association; and many more.

 

For more information about the Saratoga Race Course and the community outreach booth, please visit www.nyra.com.

 

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