Keeneland and UK HealthCare Launch Keeneland Kids Club Partnership
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 21, 2020) – Keeneland and UK HealthCare today kicked off the Kids Club aspect of their new multiyear partnership announced last fall – now formally recognized as the Keeneland Kids Club in Partnership with UK HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital – with the goal of providing health education to a wider audience.
Established in 2012, the Keeneland Kids Club is the official Kids Club for Keeneland fans 12 and younger. In addition to learning about Keeneland and the horse industry, its more than 7,000 members participate in annual family fun events, such as an Easter Egg Hunt, Kids Club Family Day at the Races and Kids Club Holiday Party, which provide opportunities to give back to the Central Kentucky community.
Among the first meaningful interactions created through this partnership were two Keeneland Kids Club “Breakfast with Buckles” events held in December. At the annual Kids Club holiday breakfast at Keeneland, members brought an unwrapped toy or roll of wrapping paper to benefit patients at Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Proceeds from ticket sales raised $3,000 for Kentucky Children’s Hospital. A second Breakfast with Buckles was hosted at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, during which patients decorated holiday cookies with the track’s popular mascot.
“Since its inception, the Keeneland Kids Club has been an extension of Keeneland’s philanthropic mission,” Keeneland Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Christa Marrillia said. “Our partnership with UK HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital offers the Kids Club initiative exciting new avenues for outreach and engagement that will positively impact the entire Kentucky community.”
“Keeneland has a rich tradition of supporting community initiatives throughout the Commonwealth, with deep roots that stretch across the state of Kentucky and beyond,” said Dr. Scottie B. Day, Physician in Chief, Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “Through this key partnership, Kentucky Children’s Hospital will be able to connect with over 7,000 Kids Club members and their families to provide useful information, resources and support that will allow for a healthier future for Kentucky’s kids. This partnership creates a sure-bet win for the kids and families of Kentucky as Keeneland allows KCH to expand outreach opportunities and supports us through philanthropic initiatives to benefit our patients.”
Underscoring the partnership between Keeneland and UK HealthCare, which also includes sponsorship of the track’s run/walk program and the First Lady (G1) stakes during the Fall Meet, is the shared commitment to support the communities they serve through education, philanthropy and community engagement.
Since 1940, Keeneland and UK have successfully joined forces on a number of initiatives aimed at bettering the community and horse industry. Among those projects are funding scholarships and research programs, supporting the DanceBlue marathon, hosting Big Blue Day at Keeneland in the fall and donating $100,000 to the UK Athletics’ CATS academic center as part of the Maker’s Mark commemorative bottle series. In the spring of 2019, Keeneland gifted $1.3 million to create the Keeneland Endowed Chair in Equine Veterinary Science at UK’s Gluck Equine Research Center.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.