19 Apr Our Mims Retirement Haven Receives Grant from ATFL

Our Mims Retirement Haven was recently awarded a grant from After The Finish Line (www.afterthefinishline.org), a national 501(c)3 charity that helps off the track Thoroughbreds. The $2,550 grant will start the tractor and bush hog fund.

Haven Farm Owner and Manager Jeanne Mirabito remarked, “A new tractor is an essential need at this time. Our current tractor is small and can only handle a 5 foot cut bush hog. We spend close to thirty six hours a week just mowing. A bigger tractor and bush hog will allow us to maintain the farm in just a fraction of the time we now spend. It’s hard to imagine being able to mow our farm in one day but I’d sure like to give it a try.”

“Donations have really been down for the Haven,” said Cheryl Bellucci, Director of Fund Raising and Promotion for OMRH. “Even if donations were on par with what they were a couple of years ago, it’s hard to squeeze ‘extra’ money out of the budget. Grants like this one from After The Finish Line allow us to fund the big projects while still taking care of our ladies.”

While the grant from ATFL will not completely pay for the tractor and bush hog, donations are being accepted for the ‘tractor fund’. Those wanting to donate can do so from the home page of the web site (http://www.ourmims.org) or from the Haven’s online store (http://shop.ourmims.org). Donations can also be made at any Fifth Third bank. Just be sure to indicate it’s for the Our Mims Retirement Haven Tractor Fund.

Our Mims Retirement Haven was created in 2004 to take in retired Thoroughbred broodmares. Named after Our Mims, the 1977 3-Year-Old Eclipse Champion, OMRH current houses eleven ladies, including Timeless Sue (great granddam of 2008 Queen’s Plate winner Not Bourbon), Hana Bride (daughter of Coastal), Little Miss Porter, Australian-born Princess Royale, Bel’s Startlet (California stakes winner), Cruella (dam of Diazo), Blue Viking, Smokie’s Love (retired hunter/jumper), Ms. Royal Flagship, Taba Dance (daughter of Taba; half-sister to Turkoman), Ms. Stalwart (dam of Stalwart Member), Missy White Oak, and Lotka (dam of Mambo Twist).

OMRH became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2006. Featured in Barbara Livingston’s “More Old Friends,” the Haven specializes in “restoring health and spirit in aged mares.”
The Haven is supported through donations, eBay auctions, and its online shop. OMRH recently added a new fence line paid for with grant money and donations.
After the Finish Line is a San Diego based 501 (C) (3) funding non-profit for Thoroughbred horses that can no longer race or breed. It supports rescues across the country, providing both funding and grants to qualified Thoroughbred rescue organizations.