Annual banquet raises funds for chaplaincy programs

The Arkansas Racetrack Chaplaincy will hold its annual banquet Friday at 6 p.m. in Horner Hall at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Tickets are still available for this event for $65, and all proceeds fund programs the chaplaincy offers throughout the year.

Chaplain Robi Heffington and her husband, Chaplain Rich Heffington, have been with Oaklawn Chapel at Oaklawn Park for nine years. The banquet had already been held for several years prior to their arrival.

The Heffingtons have worked in racing for many years, traveling around the country to different tracks working with the horses on the back side. But Robi Heffington said when they came to Oaklawn, they decided it was time “to stay put.”

“(The banquet) usually raises more than half of our funds for the year in one night,” Robi Heffington said. “Throughout the year we offer English as a second language classes, a clothes closet, and during the live meets we give awards to grooms and feed the different barns that win each week.

“Year-round we have Bible studies and weekly church services; we help people with drug and alcohol addictions. We perform weddings and funerals, and baptisms. We are here full time for whoever needs us.”

Everyone from grooms to trainers and jockeys attend the event each year, she said, which makes for a fun evening for racing fans who attend.

“We have a live auction with about 17 items and a silent auctions with 100 items, and we have silent auction items from $10 up so everyone has a chance to bid on something,” she said. “The live auction is our entertainment because a lot of our trainers get really into it, bidding back and forth. It’s just a very fun night, and with our jockeys and trainers there it really makes for a unique event for people.”

Auction items often include racing memorabilia and this year’s lineup includes an autographed Gun Runner halter, box seats for the Kentucky Oaks and Derby, a houseboat getaway and autographed Tom Brady jersey.

Nancy Holthus, Oaklawn Park paddock analyst, will serve as emcee for the event. For ticket information contact 501-701-1497 or 405-388-9026.