Fundraising event raised more than money.

It started last October, when Fran Raffetto, working as a placing judge during the Pimlico meet, placed a small sign on her desk:

Night for Noah Accepting donations.
Raffetto had no definite plan at the time, and no date for when the fundraising night would take place. But her goal was clear: to blunt the financial challenges looming over the family of Noah Grove, a winsome 5-year-old whose left leg had become a casualty in his fight against bone cancer.

The sign drew attention. Lots of attention. Just about everyone who passed by Raffetto’s desk knew Noah’s father, trainer Chris Grove, and his grandfather, former jockey and now Maryland steward Phil Grove. Many were aware of the anguish the Grove family had gone through, seeking opinions from various medical centers and hearing the same grim reports, until one doctor put it succinctly: “His leg, or his life.”

Soon after the sign went up, the checks started coming in. Five dollars one day. Fifty dollars the next. Auction items began appearing on Raffetto’s desk. Then Chick Lang, the former Pimlico general manager who 10 years ago lost his own son, the popular racing executive Chickie Lang, to cancer, got word of the project.

Noah’s medical bills were covered by insurance, but the cost of his prostheses—many of which will be needed as he grows to adulthood—is not.

“ Chick took it on as a mission,” said Raffetto. “He called in every favor he had [in collecting auction items].” Lang raided his own attic, as well as those of his daughter and grandchildren, to come up with unique treasures.

Numerous other people gave what they had, some offering their most prized keepsakes.
Still, in the beginning the goal was relatively modest. “We expected to raise $10,000. Maybe $20,000,” said Raffetto.

Little did Raffetto know that she had launched the biggest show of communal support ever to take place in Maryland racing—or perhaps the entire racing world.
Cash donations reached $50,000 before the fundraising event—A Night for Noah—drew a crowd of more than 500 to Laurel Park on February 13. The event, featuring live and silent auctions of nearly 300 items, brought in another $70,000. Additional donations since then have increased the total to $136,000.

Bookkeeping, recording of auction items and organization of the fundraising event was a massive job, all orchestrated by Raffetto with help from volunteers.

But ultimately the money was turned over to the Grove family with no strings attached. “We didn’t want to dole it out, or put ourselves in a situation where someone had to approve the spending, which would complicate things a lot more,” explained Raffetto. “This was done for Noah.”

The Groves have stated that any surplus, beyond Noah’s needs, will be redirected to another worthy cause.

Maryland racing has had few uplifting news events in the past several years. But the Noah experience was an Eclipse-caliber performance by many people, most of all Fran Raffetto.
Not since the movie Seabiscuit have so many people celebrated the gallantry that is at the core of Thoroughbred horse racing.