West End School Benefits from Fall Meet Recycling Effort at Churchill Downs

Oct 27, 2012 John Asher

Patrons visiting Churchill Downs during the track’s Oct. 28-Nov. 25 Fall Meet will have opportunities on each racing day to “pitch in” to support the work of Louisville’s West End School through an on-track recycling campaign.

Visitors to the historic home of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands will be asked to drop their empty aluminum cans into specially-marked receptacles placed in prominent locations throughout the track’s Clubhouse.  The cans will be collected and sold for recycling, with all proceeds benefitting Louisville’s West End School.

The school located at 3628 Virginia Avenue is a free, private college-preparatory elementary school for at-risk young men. West End School, which opened its doors in 2005, offers rigorous academic and personal standards designed to establish a culture of high expectations for its students that is not dependent on the culture-at-large.

Admission to West End School is open to boys entering pre-kindergarten to sixth grade who are eligible for free-or-reduced school lunches, are capable of academic work at their grade level or above and would benefit from a safe educational environment and high expectations.  Students of the school do not pay tuition or carry any financial burden for their study at West End School as all expenses are paid through donations from individuals, corporate partners and foundations.  Information is available online at www.WestEndSchool.org.

“West End School is one of the great educational success stories in our community in recent years and Churchill Downs is very pleased partner with the school in this Fall Meet fundraising and recycling effort,” said Ryan Jordan, general manager of Churchill Downs. “The recycling effort is a simple concept, but each dollar raised through this effort will enhance the lives and futures of the promising young men who benefit daily from the work of West End School, its dedicated faculty and generous volunteers.”

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2013, and its 2012 Fall Meet is scheduled for Oct. 28-Nov. 25. The track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.ChurchillDowns.com.