Presenting $9,310 to Make-A-Wish Western NY

BATAVIA –Western Region Off Track Betting (WROTB) and Batavia Downs President and CEO Byron Brown was joined by staff from Make-A-Wish Western New York, as Batavia Downs Presented them with a check for  $9,310.  These proceeds were from this past summer’s Chair Rentals, Glow in the Dark Jewelry and Can Coolers sales at Batavia’s Rockin’ the Downs Outdoor Summer Concert Series.

“On behalf of the Batavia Downs Board of Directors, I want to recognize and thank the volunteers of Make of Wish Western New York for making this happen,” Brown said.  “Through their efforts over $9,300 was raised to help children with critical illnesses. Hopefully with the money raised another wish can come true.”

Throughout the 9 concerts of Batavia Downs’ Rockin’ The Downs Summer Concert Series, volunteers at the Make-A-Wish chair-rental booth rented out chairs and sold glow jewelry and Make  A Wish branded can coolers.  The chairs were adorned with the Make-A-Wish logo and the message:  The person sitting in this chair is helping to transform lives.

“Make-A-Wish is incredibly appreciative of our partnership with Batavia Downs for the “Rockin’ the Downs” Summer Concert Series to raise both awareness and crucial funds to help support children and families fighting critical illnesses, not only in the Batavia community but throughout this 17-county region,” said Ben Marchione, Regional Director, Make-A-Wish® Western New York.  “Thank you to all the concert goers who supported this year’s efforts and to Batavia Downs for making it possible. It is only through vitally important partnerships such as this that we are able to continue to serve our essential mission. We are very thankful for the opportunity.”

The 2025 Concert Series lineup is expected to announced before year’s end.

About Batavia Downs/WROTB

Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 8 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility. Since its inception, Western Region OTB has generated over $251 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of participating municipalities.

About Make-A-Wish Western New York

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with critical illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish® has to date fulfilled the wishes of more than 3,700 children in the Western New York area. Regional offices are located in Buffalo and Rochester serving 17 counties in New York State. Make-A-Wish is a proud participant of the Better Business Bureau Charity Seal Program, which indicates that the organization has met the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability, and Morning Consult recently named Male-A-Wish the #1 Most Trusted Nonprofit Operating Locally Across 50 States. For more information, visit wny.wish.org.

PICTURE (L to R) Henry Wojtaszek, General Counsel – WROTB/Batavia Downs, Dennis Bassett, Chairman – Board of Directors, WROTB/Batavia Downs, Byron Brown – President and CEO, WROTB/Batavia Downs, Jodie Antoniadis, Development Manager, Make-A-Wish Western New York, Mary Hazel, Development Director, Make-A-Wish Western New York