The Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) celebrated its 35th birthday during its annual meeting March 14-21 in Louisville, Ky., with special training in responding to disasters that impact the horse racing community.

A record 145 persons, including a record 51 chaplains, came from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina to train on a variety of spiritual topics as well as immigration issues and grief counseling. Twenty-seven chaplains stayed at Churchill Downs’ dorms March 22-23 and underwent two days of training in crisis response at the track’s new Christ Chapel.

Leading the training was Gene Grounds, executive director of the Richardson, Texas-based Victim Relief Ministries, which trains chaplains and senior church leaders to aid in disasters.

“The original vision is being completed,” RTCA president Rev. Edward Smith said. “We’re continuing to find more and better ways to be relevant to the global racing community