NAADA donates $2,500 to Purple Haze, Disabled American veterans

YONKERS, N.Y.— The North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) made a pair of donations the week of Feb. 9 to support racehorse aftercare and America’s veterans.

Wanda Polisseni’s Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program (PHSAP) received a $2,500 donation from NAADA. An accredited aftercare program by the Standardbred Transition Alliance, PHSAP is a 501(c)3 organization focused on retraining and rehoming Standardbreds after they’ve retired from racing. Polisseni founded the organization, which is the only aftercare program solely dedicated to Standardbreds in the state of New York, in late 2018.

NAADA also made a $2,500 donation to Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization that provides resources and services to help veterans hurt in the line of duty ranging from assistance with benefits to volunteers giving free rides for medical appointments while also supporting veterans’ transition back to civilian life. In 2025 alone, DAV helped veterans access nearly $30 billion in earned benefits.

“For a long time, our club has been steadfast in supporting many valuable causes including racehorse aftercare and in giving back to our service members who gave an awful lot,” said Joe Faraldo, president of NAADA. “These donations are of course close to our heart. Aftercare is a vital piece of our industry’s ecosystem, and some of our own club members have made the great sacrifice to serve our country. We’re proud that we can continue to support these great causes.”

An amateur driving club, NAADA’s members compete in pursed races but do not retain the driver’s share of earnings. The driver’s keep, typically around five percent of purse earnings, instead pools into various charitable donations made by the club throughout the year.

The club’s winter trotting series continues into its fourth preliminary of six on Thursday (Feb. 12) with two divisions at Yonkers Raceway, carded as Race 2 and Race 5. First-race post time at Yonkers is 6:45 p.m. (EST).

by Ray Cotolo, for the NAADA