Cristina Vasquez has been on the track in New York for over 30 years. When I was a director for the HBPA New York division, there was a need for a bilingual person in the backstretch clinic to assist the staff with the Hispanic clientele. I recommended Cristina, as I had known her and her family through a trainer I had ridden for years earlier. She was immediately hired and her job description evolved into counseling families through spousal abuse, making all the dental appointments, organizing a free flea market and hustling food for her on-site pantry through organizations like Long Island Harvest. During Thanksgiving, she excels at preparing numerous complete dinners including turkeys, vegetables and dessert and distributes to over 200 backstretch families. Christmas is another holiday where she makes every effort to ensure that the families in need are taken care of.
—Submitted by Joe Brocklebank
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