You may remember I attended the Great Charity Challenge at the International Arena Wellington International this past winter in Florida. This year the jumper teams had “Candy” as the theme.
Donors and sponsors gave a grand total of $1.7 million!
Today I recieved an email that outlined where the $1.7 million dollars had been sent to help people in the Palm Beaches community.
Today Wellington, FL – July 12, 2023 – The 14th annual Great Charity Challenge sponsored by Fidelity Investments® (GCC), held at Wellington International during the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), was yet another epic night of show jumping and philanthropy, contributing $1.7 Million to 78 local non-profit organizations and 12 local schools.
Thanks to the generous support of 68 sponsors, donors and partners, 462,408 lives have been impacted since the conclusion of the 2023 event.
Wellington, FL – July 12, 2023 – The 14th annual Great Charity Challenge sponsored by Fidelity Investments® (GCC), held at Wellington International during the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), was yet another epic night of show jumping and philanthropy, contributing $1.7 Million to 78 local non-profit organizations and 12 local schools.
Thanks to the generous support of 68 sponsors, donors and partners, 462,408 lives have been impacted since the conclusion of the 2023 event.
Adopt-a- family Project Grow
Seeing our entire community unite to #BeTheChange and sharing its results is something truly special” commented Anne Caroline Valtin, Executive Director. “A lot of direct impact has already been made in the five months since the event, it is incredible to see the funds go to work immediately.” Kelly Arani, Event and Marketing Coordinator for the GCC.
This quarterly fund use report reflects how the funds directly supported the work of many non-profits in our community. The event’s impact is highlighted through the following stories.
This year’s winning charity, Caridad Center, is the largest free clinic in Florida, providing life changing medical care to the underserved. Caridad Center told us the success story of Joaquina, who has been a patient for 22 years. “This patient immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1996 with her husband looking for a better life. Two years later, she began to feel ill, and without economic resources, she did not know where to go. During her time as a patient with us, we have supplied all the medications Joaquina needs, in addition to performing labs, pap smears, diagnostics testing and mammograms. Joaquina is very grateful to Caridad Center and all of our providers and employees. Today, she has peace of mind knowing that we will always be here for her, helping her to maintain her health. “Caridad Center has helped me over all these years; it is such a blessing for me,” she says
But not only people’s lives were touched; stories from our four-legged friends also warmed our heart this year. Paws 2 Help told us the story of a “two-year-old canine that was positive for heartworm disease had euthanasia as an option because the owner did not have the financial ability to cure this extremely treatable disease. The canine is now on the road to recovery due to use of our Great Charity Challenge funds. A new cure for the deadly parvo virus has just become available and we are able to provide this drug to the patients needing it at no extra cost.”
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League
The Lord’s Place has served 1,090 people since receiving GCC funds. Funds supported their Café Joshua employment program which conducted more than 400 job coaching sessions for 185 adults experiencing housing instability and unemployment. Through the program, clients obtain employment and income, which are critical to their self-sufficiency. They shared a client success story from Stephen. “At the age of 51, Stephen could not imagine he would find himself struggling with housing instability while caring for his two small children. After a difficult divorce and a temporary stay with family, Stephen called a friend for help… While working with his case manager, Stephen talked about his dream of owning a home. In order to achieve this goal, Stephen enrolled in The Lord’s Place’s employment program. He completed a job readiness course and expanded his professional skills… Stephen continues to strive for homeownership. He is currently working at a youth mental health facility. His children continue to excel in their studies. He has built a loving, warm home for them to come back to each day.”
With many more inspiring success stories to be told, we invite you to view the full collective impact report by visiting https://online.fliphtml5.com/xotys/waxs/
Hosted every winter at Wellington International, the GCC has become a highlight of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), distributing over $19.4+ million to 318 to Palm Beach County non-profit organizations over the last 14 years. None of this would be possible without our generous sponsors and donors that come back and support each and every year.
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