Racy Revelry: Race for Charity

Some 145 guests experienced the thrill of indoor horse racing at the 4th annual Evening at the Races, a lively, rip-roaring charity event held Sat., April 4 to benefit 340 low-income high school students served by Chester County Futures. The event, held in the Concordville Inn, Delaware County, featured a 20-foot indoor race track, betting windows, an odds board, hay bales, race books, and colorful Derby-style menu. An authentic race announcer called the action and “jockey” Julie Mesaros of West Chester moved large wooden horses down the indoor track on a roll of the dice. Guests gathered trackside to cheer on their favorites and wager Derby charity bucks . The event raised $25,000 to support Chester County Futures, a 12-year old academic, mentoring and scholarship organization serving deserving disadvantaged students in five high schools and seven middle schools in Chester County. Despite the odds, 100 percent of Futures’ students earn their high school diploma and 92 percent head on to college or trade school. Nearly all are first generation collegians. www.ccfutures.org