by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA website is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

“No one has ever become poor from giving.”

Bob Carson

My wife and a few of her friends manage a food bank. They work hard for nothing. In fact, they often reach into their own pockets. Within a block of the battered brick building where they distribute shopping bags of food and serve a hot meal each week, you will find a homeless shelter, an in-house addiction recovery home, a church basement that holds NA and AA meetings and a Mission shelter. Each outreach program has to scrounge and stretch available funds and constantly seek benefactors.

Harness racing also has their share of people in need. The racing community has a history of generosity. When a call goes out for assistance, it is usually heard on the backstretch and within our organizations. Those who recently wrote a check to the Classy Lane Fire Fund recognized that writing the check was a pleasure. The public at large does not realize how giving we are — and they should.

Maybe they should be reminded every month. The monthly reminder could be good business.

We all have choices for our entertainment money whether it’s going to a ballgame, playing golf, bar hopping, grabbing a broom for curling, running a marathon, or going to the movies. They all whisper in our ears, “Try me.”

When someone calls and says “Let’s play golf on Saturday,” odds are we may decline because it’s expensive, crowded and a bit of a hassle. When someone calls and says “There is a golf fundraiser for a needy member from my church who has a terrible disease,” we almost always play.

You may be on the fence about taking a drive to watch the Batavia Muckdogs play a baseball game against the Williamsport Woodcutters, but if you read that the gate receipts will help build a wing of the local hospice, you are much more likely to attend.

Professional golf has a good persona and a history of charitable giving. One of the reasons that people often pay a hefty admission price to walk around a golf course to watch the back of the heads of people watching Bubba Watson hit a five iron 250 yards is that they know that a portion of the money they spend will help fund a local children’s hospital.

It has always occurred to me that horse racing, with our constant churn of money, would be well served to automatically allocate a small portion for charitable causes. Not once in a blue moon, not anonymously, but regularly and selectively.

Think of this scene — each month the local newspaper, social media, radio, television, instagram and anything else we can think of are reminded that a needy family or organization just received a nice check from the local racetrack. The nearby hospital gets a new ambulance. The research center gets a donation. A new cause is publicized every month, money from gambling on horses doing good things. Good money for good causes is great in itself, but the psychological boost to members of our horse racing community would be welcome.

The donated money could very well pay other dividends. Imagine the next time we need help from a state representative or senator, or imagine the next time legislation is on the ballot concerning horse racing. A steady record of local giving could prove helpful.

The entire charity concept might prove to be cost effective. If potential gamblers are on the edge about visiting a racetrack or logging onto a gambling site, the thought that some of their money is going to a good cause might be the nudge between making a play or taking a pass.

You may say gamblers are cynical and you will be correct, but even cynics have hearts. In the future, in our new “sharing economy,” a less mercenary view of gambling and horse racing may be needed.

Everyone along the gambling dollar food chain should get aboard, the racetrack, the betting outlets, the horsemen, and yes, the gamblers should offer a pinch of the rotating pie to good work.

Fast forward to this scene. A newspaper reporter and a TV crew are on the apron. A group of 30 men and women surround a harness horse. The TV women nods to the cameraman and speaks.

“We are back at Batavia Downs for our monthly event. One thousand dollars has been pledged to,” she looks at a file card, “The Williamsport Project — a retraining and reintegration facility that is located on Chester Street. The facility, now in the sixth year, helps those returning to the workplace by upgrading their skills and education.

“In less than one minute, the horse you see behind me will race (zoom to horse and people surrounding).”

Looking down at another file card she reads, “His name is Wily Coyote and he is wearing the yellow number six. As many of you know, if Wily can manage to win, an additional $500 bonus will be pledged to The Williamsport Project.”

Finding organizations in need every month would be easy. A positive splash tweeted each month could be simple, useful and help new people see us in a new and brighter light.

The studies on why people do or do not donate are complex. Psychological studies show that giving and donating creates increased endorphins and gives the donor a warm glow. It feels good to know your money is going to a good place. Yet many do not give. One of the reasons is that some people feel a sort of ignorance about how to be charitable and to whom they should donate.

Would tithing a sliver of each racing dollar to charity be a game changer? Probably not, but it could be a tipping point for those on the cusp of a horse wager. Maybe we should give this concept a thought.