Jack Doolan knows exactly how much of an impact Boys to the Bush can have on young, disengaged males.

He was one of them.

And to help make a difference to more young boys in the community, the Bathurst Harness Racing Club has selected the organisation to be this year's Gold Crown Carnival charity.

Mr Doolan describes his adolescent years as "tough", after losing some important people in his life at an early age and finding himself on his own at only 16 years old.

But after reaching out to Boys to the Bush - who weren't yet based in Bathurst at the time - he soon found the family he was missing.

"I was having to be an adult before I was even an adult," Mr Doolan said.

"I was a young, depressed teen who didn't really have any role models and was doing it pretty tough.

"Boys to the Bush was just a great support service and family really.

"They were supportive in a way that other organisations and other people weren't. After losing a lot of important people in my life, these blokes were the ones who stuck by me as a family in a way."

Now, Mr Doolan works as a mentor for the organisation, helping other boys experiencing hardships similar to what he did.

And it's through community support that Boys to the Bush is able to provide their services, and the Bathurst Harness Racing community is a big part of that.

With some of the Boys to the Bush staff being involved with harness racing, and other local trainers happy to have the participants helping out on their properties, the two organisations have developed a strong relationship.

So, being named the official 2024 Gold Crown Carnival charity is just another way for the sporting club to show its support.

"The reason the committee chose Boys to the Bush is because they have a big presence in our community and we have close ties with them," Bathurst Harness Racing Club chief executive officer Brendan Micallef said.

"We see the impact they have on the youth in our community, so we thought they would be the perfect charity to support."

Throughout the 10-day carnival, there will be a number of opportunities for people to contribute to the charity.

At each race meeting and carnival event there will be raffle tickets sold, a portion of the Calcutta pool will be donated, and the Boys to the Bush team will also be hosting barbecues throughout the carnival.

Boys to the Bush Bathurst location manager Kurt Hancock said the organisation is very grateful for the relationship that's been developed with the harness community, and they're honoured to be this year's charity of choice.

"Since we've started here, the community has really bought into what we do with these boys, and without that the program doesn't exist," he said.

"That's what it's all about really, building rapport and getting their behaviours in check but then putting them in front of positive people.

"And the harness racing families have been a big part of that."