Veteran Dover Downs' horseman and humanitarian Ken Wood will be featured on the popular NBC Today Show on Tuesday, Oct. 19
. A live online chat hosted by Jane Pauley will follow that afternoon from noon to 1 p.m.
Wood, who resides in Easton, Md., has been a popular and successful horseman for more than three decades racing at Middle Atlantic region racetracks and in New Jersey at the Meadowlands. Currently he races a small, hard-hitting stable of top class trotters and pacers at Chester Downs, Harrington Raceway and at the upcoming Dover Downs harness racing meet.
A noted longtime well driller on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the deeply religious Wood became aware of an urgent need for good drinking water in the poor West African nation of Ghana. At his own expense, Wood sent his drilling equipment by boat and flew to Ghana seeing in person the need for fresh water. Local inhabitants had to walk about five miles for water not of drinking quality. He recently completed his 19th trip to Ghana and along with his son Ben have drilled 475 wells and have laying pipes to expand the area served.
Wood has donated his digging equipment and purchased other necessities estimated at multi-hundreds of dollars, to his on-going project which also trains Ghana locals to continue the work between his visits. Wood's crusade has been aided by Rotary clubs and has been recognized by AARP. In 2008, Wood was honored for his humanitarian efforts by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Not long after, Wood was recognized by Harness Horse International with its distinguished 'Dominic Frinzi Person of the Year' award.
Recently the soft-spoken Wood was contacted by NBC and his humanitarian project will be featured on the early morning Today Show, Tuesday, Oct. 19. Then from noon to 1:00 p.m. ET, AARP Ambassador Jane Pauley, former co-host of the Today Show and Dateline, will participate in a live online chat at the AARP website to discuss reinvention, volunteerism, and how you can give back using one's career skills. Ken Wood will join her with the subject of this month's Your Life Calling segment, and career transition expert, David Simms of the Bridgespan Group.
(Dover Downs)