Off to the Races at Derby Day

Held at the Chastain Horse Park, the annual Kentucky Derby-themed fundraising event benefits the Shepherd Center

Photographed by CatMax Photography

Rainbow balloon archway and tents at Shepherd Center Derby Day event. Sign reads 'Hope is here'.

Entrance to the event

Woman in wheelchair wearing blue shawl and floral dress, man in checkered suit and bow tie

Derby Day co-chairs Stephanie Surbaugh Payne and Greg Payne

Man in wheelchair with tattoos, man in straw hat and light blue suit, woman in patterned dress and

Jared Coppola, Brandon Clift, and Aly Clift

Crowd cheering at an event, some wearing hats and fascinators.

Guests watch the race

Woman in striped dress crafting with pink flowers and a grey hat

Attendees craft their own fascinators (fascinators by Love Blossoms)

Woman in a black cardigan and floral dress stands next to a man in a wheelchair.

Diane Deariso and Duane Morrow

Gold letters spell DERBY DAY on a white sign against a backdrop of green ivy.

Derby Day festivities

Bottles of Day Swigger flavored bourbon whiskey, including Hot Honey and Butter Pecan

Doc Brown Farm & Distillers

Shepherd Center’s annual Derby Day is Atlanta’s biggest Kentucky Derby-themed fundraising event, complete with fancy hats, seersucker suits, mint juleps, and plenty of fun. For over 40 years, the event has drawn a diverse crowd of Shepherd Center staff members, former patients, and community members alike to enjoy race day festivities and of course, a broadcast of the race. A highlight of the city’s spring social calendar, Derby Day raises money for Shepherd Center’s Recreation Therapy Program, the largest program of its kind in the country. Recreation therapy creates opportunities for Shepherd Center patients to rediscover their passions and purpose after injury or illness.

events, shepherd center