Tana Slifko | Treasurer

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Tana grew up in rural farm country in south-central Pennsylvania. Tana was
always drawn to the barn as a youngster, eager to “help” her dad care for their beef
cattle and two horses, teaching her as she grew more capable. Tana was especially
drawn to the two family horses, feisty Ginger and blind in one eye Tumbleweed Tim.
Tana reminisces about a picture of her on sweet Tim where she was so little that her
feet were no where close to reaching the stirrups. While he could have a stubborn
streak with others, he always carried Tana so lovingly. Tana spent many hours and
miles riding Tim throughout her younger years, even until she was finally big enough to
not only reach the stirrups but also saddle and cinch him. Tana remembers thinking
then, I want to be a jockey when I grow up. Tana found out in later years her birth dad
was, in fact, a jockey.

Tana was given up for adoption at birth and knew this for as long as she can
remember. Around 2018, Tana did a genetics test, just out of curiosity about potential
health risks and genealogy. Tana saw a maternal aunt had also done the same genetics
test. Tana reached out to her, because why not, and the aunt connected her to her birth
mother. Tana’s birth mother gave Tana the name of her birth father. It wasn’t hard to find
a way to contact him, Darrell Brown, as he was a board member of Jockeys and Jeans.
Darrell and his wife never knew Tana even existed, yet they welcomed her, along with
her husband and son, as part of their family.

Since meeting Darrell and Maureen, Tana began attending the Jockey and Jeans
events, volunteering, and then becoming a committee member. Tana saw the tight bond and respect all of the jockeys have for one another, and especially the fallen riders. Tana
wanted to be a part of this new venture, Jockey Relief Alliance, Inc. to continue to
support jockeys in need and advocated to become Treasurer.

Tana now resides closer to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where she has fulfilled a
lifelong goal of finally supporting “the tinies”, 2-6 year olds diagnosed with Autism, after
years of working with school-age kiddos and adults also on the Spectrum and with other
co-morbid diagnoses.