If you don't know NYTHA Business Manager Dionne Johnson, you should stop by our Office and meet her. Dionne has been working for NYTHA pretty much her whole adult life, and she is the backbone of the organization. Her motto, if she had one, would be, “We're here to help the people,” and she has dedicated her energy to assisting backstretch workers for more than 30 years (which seems impossible, to look at her). The program nearest and dearest to Dionne's heart is the NYTHA Scholarship Program, which funds $200,000 in college scholarships for backstretch workers and their immediate dependents every year. Dionne shepherds those students like a mother hen, making sure they complete their applications and keep up their grades. She has a smile and a kind word for everyone who comes into the office, whether it is a hotwalker or maintenance worker, or an owner or trainer. Dionne is such an asset to racing, to the horsemen and the backstretch community. Everyone should know who she is.
–Submitted by Andy Belfiore, Executive Director, NYTHA
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