Frank Candiano of Garfield, New Jersey walked away with a 2023 Toyota Camry as the grand prize winner of Meadowlands Racetrack’s Horseplay promotion.
Candiano, a loyal Meadowlands customer, is at the track every weekend for live racing.
“This is unbelievable,” Candiano exclaimed after his name was drawn. “My wife and I are super excited to have won!”
For every toy horse that was tossed into the Horseplay car by fans trackside throughout the promotion period, Meadowlands Racetrack donated $5 to the designated monthly charity and $5 to Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program. For the 2023 season, a total of $8,450 was donated to four charities.
The May donation recipient was Helping Horseshoe Therapeutic Riding Club, which received $1,250. This not-for-profit organization has been established to provide exceptional, safe, fun and educational Equine Assisted Activities to individuals with and without special needs, of all ages and abilities. Helping Horseshoe also provides horses with a second career keeping them from becoming part of the unwanted horse population. The Helping Horseshoe Therapeutic Riding Club has been established as a not-for-profit corporation in the effort to provide quality instruction by an experienced certified instructor at an affordable price.
Spectrum360 received $1,545 as the June charity recipient. Spectrum360’s mission is to provide the highest quality educational and therapeutic programs for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. Through individualized treatment plans, participants work to overcome learning, language and social/emotional challenges in an effort to achieve their maximum potential.
The July/August charity recipient, HOPES Community Action Partnership, earned $1,430. The mission of HOPES is to provide services that respond to the social, educational and training needs of individuals in an effort to overcome barriers and fight the causes of poverty. HOPES empowers people of all ages: more than 1,000 children from birth to five years old for school readiness, and over 3,000 youth, adults and seniors towards economic self-sufficiency annually.
The Purple Haze Standard Adoption Program received $4,225 over the three-month promotion.
Since 2015, Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment has donated nearly $60,000 to local charities through Horseplay.
(With files from The Meadowlands)