2018 Great Charity Challenge, Presented By Fidelity Investments, Celebrates The Stars Of The Community
Palm Beach County charities will get a chance to showcase what it truly means to be a star this coming February when the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, returns to Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
For the past eight years, equestrians and their mounts have been captivating the local community at this event. These teams of riders have one goal in mind: to give Palm Beach County charities a chance to shine and win up to $150,000.
Through an open application process, the Great Charity Challenge invited all Palm Beach County-based charities to apply to participate in the ninth edition of the pro-amateur relay show jumping competition.
Thirty-four of these randomly drawn charities will meet their “lucky star” on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, to receive a share of the $1.5 million purse.
The Great Charity Challenge, founded in 2010 by Mark and Katherine Bellissimo of Equestrian Sport Productions, and their daughter Paige, has distributed more than $10.8 million from the equestrian community to 220 nonprofits in Palm Beach County. All of the money raised gets distributed to local nonprofits every year, with first place receiving $150,000 and all participating charities being guaranteed a minimum amount of $15,000. Staying true to its roots, a minimum of seven charities, out of the 34 participating nonprofits, are guaranteed to be Wellington based.
Over the last three years, the event has brought team spirit to a new level by incorporating themes. With riders dressed up in costumes and horses decked out to match them, the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center welcomed “Superheroes,” “Fairy Tales Characters” and “Animated Characters.” This year’s theme will be “Hollywood Feature Film: A Night When Everyone’s A Star.”
“This ninth year honors the local stars of our community,” Mark Bellissimo said. “We hope to give them an opportunity to shine and let them redefine what ‘stars’ are truly made of. This event is truly the legacy of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the sponsors involved. We can’t thank them enough for their support.”
Paige Bellissimo, who is actively involved in the community, agreed.
“The GCC is a unique event that allows us to raise awareness of the diverse charitable organizations throughout the community,” she said. “We hope that this year’s edition will help future generations see what stars are truly made of! We are very grateful for our rider teams, sponsors and partners who support the effort.”
The drawing to select the 34 charities that will participate in the 2018 event will be held Dec. 2 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
For the latest event information and application guidelines, visit www.greatcharity challenge.com or www.facebook.com/great charitychallenge.
