Santa Anita teams up with Red Cross for Haiti relief

As news of the devastating 7.0 earthquake which

struck the Caribbean island nation of Haiti on Tuesday continues to unfold, the

Santa Anita jockeys' colony and Santa Anita Park have joined forces to send aid

via the American Red Cross beginning on Sunday.

"We initiated plans to try and help with this on Wednesday," Santa Anita

President Ron Charles said. "Alex Solis then contacted me on Thursday and said

that a number of jockeys would be interested in donating mount fees or a

percentage of their winnings from a designated race day, in order to try and

help.

"We of course welcomed their support, and we contacted the Arcadia

(California) chapter of the American Red Cross and they have agreed to

coordinate this effort for us. This is a great gesture on the part of these

jockeys and we are more than happy to partner with them in trying to help as

many people as possible. As we all know, the current situation in Haiti is

desperate"

The public is invited to join in this effort as well, and the Red Cross will be

at Santa Anita on Sunday to assist in collecting aid. Red Cross volunteers,

dressed in red coats, will be positioned at both of the track's main admission

gates and will have five gallon collection buckets available for donations.

According to initial estimates, as many as three million people may have been

affected by the quake, and it is feared there could be as many as 50,000 deaths.

Thousands of buildings and residences have been collapsed and many areas remain

inaccessible as roads have been covered with debris and bridges have collapsed.

In addition to on-track contributions this Sunday, people are encouraged to make

donations to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at

www.redcross.org, or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising

effort sponsored by Mobile Accord. Mobile donors can text "Haiti" to 90999 to

send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. These funds will go to support the Red

Cross relief efforts in Haiti.