The Kentucky Derby marked its 135th running earlier this month. The event is considered the pinnacle in horse racing -- the place where champions are crowned and legacies are born.

An avid lover of horses, Charlie Cono spent the last eight years of his life racing thoroughbreds and aspiring to reach the winner's circle at Churchill Downs. Like everything he did in life, Charlie realized considerable success on the track, winning the Breeder's Cup last year with a horse named Stardom Bound. Before this year's Derby, however, Charlie passed away before he had a chance to realize his ultimate dream in racing.

But Charlie's true legacy is slowly taking shape on 20-acres in Twin Oaks Valley near San Marcos.

And to hundreds of children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, he will always be their champion.

You see, Charlie understood that life is more than just a race. It's about more than finishing ahead of the other guy, whether it's in business or sports. Last year, Charlie donated $5 million to TERI Inc. to help establish the Center for Research & Life Planning. The gift was one of the largest private donations in San Diego County last year.

Set on 20 picturesque acres in Twin Oaks Valley near San Marcos, the first-of-its-kind campus represents the future of care for those with autism and other developmental disabilities and will be an internationally recognized center for research, education, training and life quality. When completed, the campus will include more than 30 individual centers focusing on fitness, arts and education, life quality planning, applied research, childhood development, equestrian therapy, horticulture, culinary arts, vocational training and aquatics.

The center will be named in Charlie's honor and will be a source of pride for North San Diego County. It will be a national model for how we care for the growing population of those with autism and other developmental disabilities.

But it hardly stands alone as examples of Charlie's generosity. During a lifetime of philanthropy, Charlie received the Point of Light Award from President George H.W. Bush and was presented Big Brother's Man of the Year award by then-Vice President Dan Quayle, among many other distinctions.

For Charlie, leaving a legacy was never about winning a race. It was about making an impact on the lives of others, and enriching the community in which he lived.

Charlie Cono should serve as an example to us all -- that our legacy is created by those we touch and the lives we change. For Charlie, his legacy will forever be secure at a special place in Twin Oaks Valley.

Cheryl Kilmer is chief executive officer and founder of the Oceanside-based Training, Education and Research Institute Inc. (TERI), a private nonprofit agency established in 1980 to serve the needs of children and adults with autism and other developmental and learning disabilities, and their families.