Far Hills race is over, but charitable efforts go on

FAR HILLS — Even in the afterglow of the Far Hills Race Meeting's 99th running this past Saturday, the group that governs the yearly event is continuing its community outreach.

The Far Hills Race Meeting Association has partnered for many years with RWJ University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, going back to its original incarnation as Somerset Hospital. The medical facility even honors the venue by name with its Steeplechase Cancer Center.

Together, those two entities have reached three-year agreements with five other groups, all of them healthcare-based and local: the Arc of Somerset County, Community in Crisis, Cancer Support Community, Bonnie Brae, and LifeCamp.

In each of these instances, increased funding will provide support for services ranging from access for the intellectually and developmentally disabled, to recovery programs, to juvenile outreach in underprivileged communities.

"What else can we do? How can we actually impact the lives of people in the community? That's why we reached out to these other organizations," said Guy Torsilieri, who chairs the Association along with Ron Kennedy.

In another collaboration, this one with the particular support of Community in Crisis as well as the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, the Association instituted a "dry tent" at the Race Meeting on Saturday, designed specifically for eventgoers who are in recovery to come and enjoy the day.

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It is Torsilieri's hope that the dry tent will prove to be a successful enough idea as to warrant a sponsor in years to come.

Beside that, he wants any other organizations that wish to partner with the Far Hills Race Meeting Association to reach out and pitch themselves.

"We're very proud of the fact that we're helping so many organizations in our area," he said. "We're going to continue to do that."

For more, visit farhillsrace.org.

Patrick Lavery is Senior Producer of Morning News and Special Programming for New Jersey 101.5, and is lead reporter and substitute anchor for "New Jersey's First News." Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.

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