LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The excitement of the Kentucky Derby is growing as it draws nearer. Leading up to the big race is 502’s Day, Thurby and the Kentucky Oaks. For the first time, the Wednesday of Kentucky Derby Week will be designated as ‘Winsday,’ which will support local nonprofits.
Fifty nonprofits will participate in this year’s Winsday. This was made possible through Churchill Downs, partnering with Resolute Racing and the Community Foundation of Louisville.
“Each nonprofit gets a unique ticketing link that they will use to sell box seating on that Wednesday of Derby Week to their donors, to their network, to their friends and family and from each ticket that’s sold through that link. Churchill Downs will donate a certain amount to that nonprofit,” said Mark Whitten, the director of community relations at Churchill Downs.
For Lady’s Sake is one of the participating nonprofits.
“Being able to allow the community to have an opportunity to support nonprofits through their excitement around Derby, which is already happening, is really exciting,” said Candice Crawford, the founder and CEO of For Lady’s Sake.
The nonprofit addresses period product inequities.
“It’s really important to us that we do that through access to products, legislation, as well as education. We are all about making sure that folks have the knowledge around the products and that the products are accessible,” Crawford said.
According to its 2024 Impact Report, the nonprofit distributed more than 18,000 period products in the Louisville Metro area, which helped over 900 people.
TreesLouisville is another nonprofit that is taking part in Winsday.
“Trees are expensive and they’re getting more expensive,” said Cindi Sullivan, the president and executive director of TreesLouisville. “They’re also expensive to plant, especially when you’re doing projects, like we’re doing here in Smoketown. Just cutting the sidewalk to be able to get the trees in the ground is really expensive, so every little bit helps, and you can have fun at the same time, and I think it’s just a great idea.”
The organization plants trees across the city to rebuild its tree canopy.
“Across the county, we’re doing probably 1,800 or 1,900 trees this year,” Sullivan said.
The Louisville community has supported Churchill Downs through 150 years of Kentucky Derby racing. The track said Winsday is a way to give back.
“The Louisville area has a really robust nonprofit community that does a lot of great work in our city, and it’s filling the needs that are really being unmet and one of the things that we really wanted to do at Churchill Downs is celebrate our community,” Whitten said.
The Kentucky Derby Week Events page is where people can find more information about Winsday and a full list of participating nonprofits. Box seat tickets to support the organizations can be purchased through the website.
