Literacy center planned for Churchill workers Derby museum is raising funds for programs Plans are under way to create a literacy center next year for people who work on the backside of Churchill Downs, where officials have noticed a need for English instruction for Hispanics. The Kentucky Derby Museum is working to secure more than $200,000 to transform an old racing office on the Downs’ backside for use as a center, said Lynn Ashton, executive director of the museum. If funding is secured, renovations could start in January, which would clear the way for the center to open a few weeks after Derby Day, Ashton said. Next year’s Derby is May 3. “What we will end up with when this renovation is complete is two classrooms and a library,” she said. The funding being sought through a foundation would also pay for furnishings, Ashton said. A curriculum will be developed to teach English as a second language to Hispanic adults working at the track, Ashton said. The library will be available to anyone who works on the backside, and adults may be able to check out books for their children, Ashton said. “We went children’s story books,” she said. “We want novels. We’re looking for textbooks. We are looking for dictionaries.” The museum has begun acquiring books – some in English and some in Spanish – through various initiatives, Ashton said. An exact count was unavailable, but volunteers will begin cataloging the books soon. The museum also hopes to have computers available, said Ashton, who believes the possibilities for using the center are endless. “Eventually…I would like to do some additional seminars and programs for folks on the backside – maybe health-related,” she said. “From there, I would like to see us go on and help these people be able to get their GEDs,” or General Educational Development certificates. Groups assisting with the project includes the Jefferson County Public Schools and Churchill Downs, which is a separate entity from the museum, a nonprofit organization. Track officials estimate that 600 to 700 employees work on the track’s backside; most of them take care of the horses. There is “a large Hispanic segment in that population,” said Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher. A specific number was unavailable yesterday. “Many of them are fairly new in the country” and have a limited grasp” of English, Asher said. The literacy center is being designed “to break down that language barrier as much as possible,” he said. “I just think it’s a great opportunity to reach out to those folks.” Ashton said she hopes the literacy center will help the workers, not only at the track but also in the community. “Not only will they be able to do their jobs better,” she said, “it will help them throughout all of their life.” — Darla Carter, The Courier-Journal, November 17, 2002