A Kentucky Derby Party for Charity: Q&A With Tuesday's Children

Events / Travel
Attendees at the 2016 Kentucky Derby party fundraiser for Tuesday's Children. (Courtesy Tuesday's Children)

Kentucky Derby day is one of the biggest days on the party calendar every year; friends and families gather, put on their best hats, drink mint juleps and root on their favorite horses in the run for the roses.

One of the best Kentucky Derby parties in New York City is organized by a group called Tuesday's Children. In a feature last year by America's Best Racing's Dan Tordjman, we learned that Tuesday's Children's Derby party was established for an extremely important cause - raising funds for the families of victims who were killed on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. You can read that feature here.

This year, Tuesday's Children will be throwing its fourth annual Derby party. For an update and information on how readers can get involved, I caught up with Tuesday's Children's Development Manager Jessica Breslin and Event Co-Chairs Kieran Morris and Katie Jokipii. 

Tell our readers a little bit about Tuesday's Children. When, how and why was it formed? 

Tuesday’s Children was formed in the aftermath of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 in Manhasset, N.Y. The organization was initially founded to be a shoulder to lean on for widows who lost their spouse on 9/11 and provide services and community events for the children who lost a parent that day. Over the years, the organization has expanded its network of care to providing programs and services to 9/11 first responders and their families, military families of the fallen, and communities impacted by acts of terror worldwide.

It's fairly intuitive, but why was Tuesday's Children so vital to those directly impacted by 9/11, and why does the organization remain so today? 

Katie Jokipii: Tuesday's Children provides a forum to support those who are still dealing with 9/11 today, providing guidance through their programs and services. Even though 9/11 was almost 16 years ago, the families of those who lost loved ones, as well as rescue workers and military families of the fallen, are still dealing with the ramifications of 9/11. That being said, Tuesday's Children has been there for these past 16 years, aiding those in need, and continues to do so. As time has gone on, Tuesday's Children has expanded to support other groups impacted by terrorism, putting a stake in the ground to make a larger impact within this cause.

Partygoers at the 2016 event. (Courtesy Tuesday's Children)

What are some of the stories that stick with you, and drive you in the work you do with Tuesday's Children? 

Every day I am inspired by our community members – especially the 30 percent of Junior Board members who lost a loved one on 9/11 and are now working to give back to the community by volunteering and fundraising for the efforts and growth of Tuesday’s Children. The former co-chair of the Junior Board – Kevin Parks – lost his father on 9/11. His efforts and compassion for the organization has helped grow the Junior Board to where it is today. Not only is he a volunteer mentor to a young teen who also lost his father on 9/11, Kevin is also our top endurance fundraiser, running in the NYC Marathon for the past seven years in support of Tuesday’s Children and individually raising over $200,000 over the years.

Another inspiration of mine is a woman named Liz Zirkle who works at Tuesday’s Children as the Director of Military Initiatives. She is a military widow herself, and every days she comes to work with the biggest smile on her face and the most positive energy and spirit. She organizes all of our programs for families of the fallen, including Project Heart the Heart, which is a three-day program for post-9/11 military widows and widows from Sept. 11 to grow, heal, and make lifelong friendships. This resilience-building program has given widows the resolution to commemorate their loss and find ways to continue to heal and recreate their lives with a focus on positivity. Liz attends every workshop and makes sure every woman participating is comfortable and enjoying herself. It takes a certain person to be able to organize these programs that touch so close to home – and Liz is such a pro!

Can you talk about some of the day-to-day services Tuesday's Children provides? 

Tuesday’s Children has been a supportive resource to more than 15,000 individuals since 2001. The organization is continuously working to use our lessons learned from working with the 9/11 community for more than 15 years.

We know that your Kentucky Derby party is one of your most important fundraisers during the year. Tell us when it started and where the idea came from. 

This is our forth time hosting this event, and the idea came from members of our Junior Board who wanted to continue fundraising throughout the year, and thought this would be an event to attract their friends to come out and support the organization. Everyone loves to dress up and get in the spirit of the Derby, and it makes it even better that the event is raising money for a great cause!

How important is the Kentucky Derby party to Tuesday's Children - not only in terms of fundraising, but also in the sense of community and camaraderie that surrounds it each year? 

Kieran Morris: It is not a stretch to say the Derby, along with other events in the same vein, is the life blood for TC’s continued existence and future growth. There are two ways to quantify this point; one is tangible, while another is intangible. The tangible way to answer this is simple one only need to look at funds raised. Derby, in terms of our more youth focused events, is second only to our annual Sept. 11 gala in terms of draw down for after expense funds raised.

The less tangible, and the more important aspect in my opinion, is the positive lens this causes attendees to look at TC through. People have a blast at one of the best parties spring-time-NYC has to offer by partaking in good music, a silent auction and raffle, and a “best-dressed” competition. That said, the Junior Board, with a huge assist from TC folks like Jessica Breslin, does a great job of keeping a consistent undertone reminding attendees of who they are helping by buying a ticket.

Party attendees. (Courtesy Tuesday's Children)

You see, when people are having a great time, while supporting a great cause they are far more likely to get involved in a more tangible way after the event is over. In turn, the attendees that were moved to get involved eventually end up growing our community, and furthering our already strong sense of camaraderie.

The event is great exposure to the organization for new supporters to get involved and existing partners – like Alex and Ani and Vineyard Vines – to get creative with ways they can support the event each year.

What's the atmosphere like at the Tuesday's Children Kentucky Derby party? 

Kieran Morris: It’s the best party of the spring in NYC. Aesthetically it is incredible, cute girls in hats, good looking guys in pastels, great music at one of the coolest rooftop venues in NYC. There is an overall sense of joy and euphoria for the good weather and fun times with friends all while helping an incredible cause.

Where and what time is this year's party? 

The event is at the rooftop of Hudson Terrace in New York City on Saturday, May 6, from 4 to 7 p.m. ET.

I understand you raised more than $30,000 at the event two years ago, and hoped to top that number last year. What are some of your goals with this year's event? 

We, of course, would love to surpass our revenue from years past, with our fundraising as well as our event attendance.

What should people do if they want to attend this year's party? 

Purchase a ticket here and join our event page on Facebook where we will be posting updates about giveaways, raffle prizes and other exciting details about the event.

If they can't attend, how can people support Tuesday's Children at this event and all year round? 

You can donate year-round at tuesdayschildren.org, support us on our social media channels (Facebook, @Tuesdayschldrn on Instagram, @Tuesdayschldrn on Twitter), or get involved by volunteering at our programs for the communities we serve.

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