Member spotlight: Donna Manfredi
February 9, 2021
Rotarian has an enduring love for helping horses in need … people, too
It may be a grand understatement to suggest that Donna Manfredi
has a heart for horses. Her equine proclivities extend back into her childhood.
“I was still running around with my stick horse when other girls my age were already interested in boys,” the Rockledge Rotarian said with a laugh.
One of her main draws to the animal is its kindhearted nature. “Horses are incredibly gorgeous animals but they also have big hearts and are extremely receptive to people,” Manfredi said. “You think about it: Here’s a 1,200-pound animal allowing an individual to get on its back. It’s unbelievable, the generosity of the horse – it’s just amazing.”
A horse owner herself, Manfredi is on the board of directors for Hidden Acres Rescue for Thoroughbreds (HART) organization. She’s also the chairperson of Space Coast Derby Day, the annual Rockledge Rotary fundraiser that corresponds with the Kentucky Derby.
Manfredi is a Wisconsin native, growing up in an area with a super-zealous fan base for the Green Bay Packers during the Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr days. She received a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin and has also lived in California, Illinois and Ohio. Instead of teaching, she decided to work for a computer retailer that was on the cusp of the personal computer boom of the 1980s. After her retirement, she became a massage therapist and an energy worker (a therapist who seeks to balance bodily energy for better health).
A wife and a mother of five sons, Manfredi moved to Florida seven years ago. She began volunteering at the Brevard Zoo as a means of acquainting herself with people in her new location.
Soon, she was on the HART board, where she’s served the past six years. The organization provides a foster home for thoroughbred horses that have retired from the race track and need a “forever home.”
“It can run between $600 and $800 a month to take care of one horse, so if you’re in the racing industry, that adds up quickly,” Manfredi said, adding that there are about 20,000 foals born every year groomed for the racetrack. “The chances of any one of those horses making it to a race like the Kentucky Derby are extremely low. Those thoroughbreds that become injured, aren’t fast enough or are ready for retirement need a safe place like HART to land.”
HART also takes in abused or neglected horses confiscated by Brevard County Sheriff's Department. “Sometimes it’s a long recovery period, but we get them healthy again and find them loving ‘forever homes,’” she said.
Space Coast Derby Day has been an important fundraiser for Rockledge Rotary since 2004. In recent years, it’s been an outdoor event at Wickham Park with auctions, mock races and wagers to raise money for area charities. In 2020, COVID-19 precluded any live gathering at the park, so it was a virtual event.
This year’s Space Coast Derby Day will consist of a golf tournament, a live auction and a party at Turtle Creek Golf Club in Rockledge on May 1. More information is available at spacecoastderbyday.com.
“I was still running around with my stick horse when other girls my age were already interested in boys,” the Rockledge Rotarian said with a laugh.
One of her main draws to the animal is its kindhearted nature. “Horses are incredibly gorgeous animals but they also have big hearts and are extremely receptive to people,” Manfredi said. “You think about it: Here’s a 1,200-pound animal allowing an individual to get on its back. It’s unbelievable, the generosity of the horse – it’s just amazing.”
A horse owner herself, Manfredi is on the board of directors for Hidden Acres Rescue for Thoroughbreds (HART) organization. She’s also the chairperson of Space Coast Derby Day, the annual Rockledge Rotary fundraiser that corresponds with the Kentucky Derby.
Manfredi is a Wisconsin native, growing up in an area with a super-zealous fan base for the Green Bay Packers during the Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr days. She received a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin and has also lived in California, Illinois and Ohio. Instead of teaching, she decided to work for a computer retailer that was on the cusp of the personal computer boom of the 1980s. After her retirement, she became a massage therapist and an energy worker (a therapist who seeks to balance bodily energy for better health).
A wife and a mother of five sons, Manfredi moved to Florida seven years ago. She began volunteering at the Brevard Zoo as a means of acquainting herself with people in her new location.
Soon, she was on the HART board, where she’s served the past six years. The organization provides a foster home for thoroughbred horses that have retired from the race track and need a “forever home.”
“It can run between $600 and $800 a month to take care of one horse, so if you’re in the racing industry, that adds up quickly,” Manfredi said, adding that there are about 20,000 foals born every year groomed for the racetrack. “The chances of any one of those horses making it to a race like the Kentucky Derby are extremely low. Those thoroughbreds that become injured, aren’t fast enough or are ready for retirement need a safe place like HART to land.”
HART also takes in abused or neglected horses confiscated by Brevard County Sheriff's Department. “Sometimes it’s a long recovery period, but we get them healthy again and find them loving ‘forever homes,’” she said.
Space Coast Derby Day has been an important fundraiser for Rockledge Rotary since 2004. In recent years, it’s been an outdoor event at Wickham Park with auctions, mock races and wagers to raise money for area charities. In 2020, COVID-19 precluded any live gathering at the park, so it was a virtual event.
This year’s Space Coast Derby Day will consist of a golf tournament, a live auction and a party at Turtle Creek Golf Club in Rockledge on May 1. More information is available at spacecoastderbyday.com.
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