Night at the Races raises $10,000 for Bay Ridge Center

June 14, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Outreach Director Todd Fliedner (left) says the annual fundraiser “seems to get better and better.” He is pictured with Community Advisory Board member James McHugh, center supporter Peter Clavin and Executive Director Marianne Nicolosi (left to right.) Photo by Marc Hibsher

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More than 100 people were lining up to bet on horses but they weren’t placing their wagers at Belmont. They were in a Bay Ridge senior citizens center and their bets were helping the center raise money for programs that service older adults.

The “Night at the Races” fundraiser for the Bay Ridge Center at 411 Ovington Ave. was a smashing success, according to Todd Fliedner, director of outreach and development for the center. The event, held on June 3 at the Bay Ridge Center, brought in over $10,000, Fliedner said. “We had a great crowd. We were at capacity,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle.

“Night at the Races” uses videotapes of actual horse races and gives participants the chance to bet on each race. “No one, not even us here at the center, know which horses won the races,” Fliedner explained.

Racing forms containing information about the horses running in each race are made available to bettors at the start of the night to help them pick which ponies they want to bet on “just like you would get at a normal track,” Fliedner said. State Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-Southwest Brooklyn) and Councilmember Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) stopped by to meet and greet the guests and wish them luck with their wagers. Both are longtime supporters of the Bay Ridge Center, Fliedner said. “It’s good to have their support,” he said.

The Bay Ridge Center holds “Night at the Races” every year. “And each year it seems to get better and better,” Fliedner said. The center, which has been operating for more than 30 years, is contracted by the New York City Department for the Aging and services thousands of senior citizens in Bay Ridge and its surrounding neighborhoods. The center provides hot meals, exercise classes, trips, seminars, and recreational activities. The executive director is Marianne Nicolosi.

For more information on the Bay Ridge Center, call 718-748-0650 or visit www.bayridgecenter.com.