The Harness Horse Youth Foundation presented its annual Service To Youth Award to Vicky Rouch during the Indiana Standardbred Association’s Crystal Celebration dinner and banquet.
The Service To Youth Award is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies the ideal of helping youth in harness racing. From Royal Center, Indiana, Vicky was selected by the HHYF board of trustees as the 2023 recipient. While many may know Vicky as a dedicated caretaker and owner/trainer of Star City Hero, what many might not know is her willingness to serve in nearly any capacity for the betterment of harness racing.
For several years, Vicky has volunteered for HHYF. She has conditioned horses, helped staff promotional booths, fixed broken equipment, mentored kids, and traveled many miles with HHYF to help with the summer programs; she currently cares for HHYF stable member CD’s Miss M at her farm in the off season. Executive Director Ellen Taylor summarized Vicky’s service by saying “I cannot think of one example of Vicky saying ‘no, I’m too busy’ or ‘I can’t’ which says alot about her heart and love of the industry.” She also plans to again assist HHYF with programming throughout the upcoming year.
The award has been presented each year since 1979 and Vicky joins a long list of distinguished recipients of the award including Stan Bergstein, Leah Cheverie, and Dr. Patty Hogan.
For more information about HHYF or this release, contact the HHYF office at 317.908.0029.
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The Harness Horse Youth Foundation is a charitable 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing young people and their families educational opportunities with harness horses in order to foster the next generation of participants and fans. The Foundation has been making a difference in young people’s lives since 1976; its programs include interactive learning experiences with racehorses as well as offering scholarships and creating and distributing educational resources related to harness racing.