Community Care Connections has a night at the races for fundraising event
EVANS CITY — Sarah Boyle was dressed to the nines on Saturday night, May 4, wearing the perfect wide-brim hat to match her dark navy blue dress. The silk frills mounted perfectly to the side of her head gave a breath of elegance to the evening’s event.
“I feel like I’m destined for a royal wedding in London right now,” Boyle said of her outfit.
Boyle, along with several other patrons at the Back Home BBQ and Brew Co. in Evans City, did not have to leave the state to take part in festivities. Instead she and several others were able to celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby while supporting a good cause.
“I’m really excited for this,” said Adam Zielinski of the North Hills. “This is such a great idea to combine the Derby with fundraising. It’s a genius idea.”
On Saturday, the nonprofit organization Community Care Connections hosted a Kentucky Derby Fundraiser at Back Home BBQ and Brew Co. in Evans City. The event allowed participants to take part in auctions, a 50/50 raffle and, of course, have an opportunity to purchase a hat fascinator in the spirit of the “Run for the Roses.”
Community Care Connection, based out of Butler, provides programs and services for infants, children and adults who have developmental delays or disabilities.
“Our job is to support those with disabilities and to help them be included in the community, connected to the community and empowered to live their very best lives,” said CEO Brenda Cole.
The idea to use the Kentucky Derby as a theme for the fundraiser came from an experience Ian Hunter, the director of development and community outreach, had.
“In my previous life I worked in radio and we had a couple of fundraisers that were Kentucky Derby themed, and they were successful,” Hunter said. “So we wanted to try something a little bit different this year.”
According to Cole the proceeds from the evening’s event will be used to fund several programs the nonprofit offers, including a summer camp.
“One of the big programs that tonight helps support is Camp Apple,” Cole said. “Camp Apple is a really unique summer program for kids, as young as 4 up to teenagers.”
The camp includes children both with and without disabilities, allowing them to play together, and by the end of the summer, “we forget who has disabilities,” Cole said.
One of the staples of the Kentucky Derby is the elaborate fashion, most noticeably the fancy hats donned during events surrounding the race. Saturday’s fundraiser was no different, as Jeff Double, owner and designer of Weddings by Jeff Double in Butler, offered his services for those looking to acquire or enhance their headware.
“Part of the ceremony with the Kentucky Derby are the women with the fancy dresses and the (big derby hats),” Double said. “What we’re doing is taking a donation of $10 apiece, and the ladies get an opportunity to pick a headband or a hat and one of our custom made silk pieces to top it.”
Donors were able to choose from a variety of styles Double offered, which he said he tried to match with the current season’s trends.
“Some of them have real feathers in them,” Double said. “I just finished one that had albino peacock feathers in it blended with purple flowers. It’s the color, texture and materials that make them a little more interesting and a little more fashionable.”
And while millions of people across the world watched Mystik Dan edge out Sierra Leone by less than a nose at the finish line, Hunter said Saturday night’s event was about more than horse racing.
“It’s meant to be kind of a low key event where people can just enjoy each other’s company, watch the race and help support a great cause,” Hunter said.
