Imagination Leads The Way For Local Charities At 2017 GREAT CHARITY CHALLENGE

Imagination Leads The Way For Local Charities At 2017 GREAT CHARITY CHALLENGE

What if you didn’t have to remain a child to dream of miracles? Once again, the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, will aim to raise more than $1.5 million, which will bring its fundraising total to more than $10 million raised over the last eight years.

Heading into its eighth annual event, the Great Charity Challenge returns to Wellington during the 2017 Winter Equestrian Festival on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. With fun and creative themes from super heroes to fairy tales, the event has brought thousands of people to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center to celebrate those who have dared to imagine a better community: the GCC sponsors, the riders donating their time and all those involved with the charitable organizations. To date, the event has distributed more than $9.2 million to hundreds of nonprofits in Palm Beach County.

Founded in 2010 by Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo and his daughter Paige, the Great Charity Challenge has seen the equestrian community take charitable giving to a new level. The event has impacted thousands of lives through its unique equestrian competition, with 100 percent of the proceeds donated directly to Palm Beach County charities.

While many organizations are supported and funded via the community, the GCC fills a true need to cover operating expenses; expenses that donors often shy away from supporting. A homeless shelter needs new windows. A food pantry needs a vehicle to reach hundreds of clients every week. An organization needs operating costs to help foster children. These are a few examples of the ways that the event enables Palm Beach County charities to better serve the community.

“As always, my daughter Paige and I, along with the many generous families and companies that contribute to this charitable evening, look forward to this great event each year,” Bellissimo said. “This eighth year marks a milestone; as of Feb. 4, 2017, we will have officially surpassed the $10 million donation mark. Our theme of ‘animated characters’ is a perfect fit to acknowledge those who imagine a better community. This event is truly the legacy of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the sponsors involved.”

Friends of Foster Children, an organization that provides services to foster and adoptive children in Palm Beach County, was one of the recipients from last year’s GCC.

“The winnings from the GCC will be used for operating costs to sustain our agency,” Chief Executive Officer Wendy Tippett said. “Operating costs are difficult to come by in the nonprofit arena, and the ability to utilize these dollars for those costs ensures that Friends of Foster Children will be in existence another year and able to provide continued services to the more than 1,700 children in foster care in Palm Beach County.”

The Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County secured $75,000 through the 2016 GCC, which enabled them to provide permanent housing and end the homelessness of 33 families to date. “Last year we were able to help 107 families, and with this additional funding, we will be able to help even more this year,” Executive Director Marilyn Munoz said.

The George Snow Scholarship Fund, winner of the 2016 GCC, was recognized in 2015 as the National Scholarship Providers Association’s “Scholarship Provider of the Year.” The money received from the GCC went straight to work to benefit the scholarship fund, endowment fund, the young people served with financial assistance and an array of scholar support services designed to improve scholars’ college experience and maximize graduation rates.

“A major added benefit of the GCC’s contribution to the endowment was that it put our organization over a preset benchmark, which triggered an additional $100,000 contribution from one of our donors, who had created a challenge grant to benefit the Snow Education Endowment. This essentially meant a total benefit of $250,000,” President Tim Snow said.

A full list of charities that have benefitted from the Great Charity Challenge since its debut in 2010 can be found at www.greatcharitychallenge.com.

“We are very excited to have our very own event mascot join us this year; a mini horse that we rescued last fall named Starsky,” GCC co-founder Paige Bellissimo said. “We will be visiting some of the involved charitable organizations to raise awareness of the diverse groups the event impacts in the upcoming months. We are very grateful for our rider teams, sponsors and partners who support the effort.”

This year’s event is sure to inspire adults and children alike as riders will be dressed as their favorite animated characters, bringing beloved movies to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Costume awards will determine a bonus for the lucky charities. The competition will offer free general admission.

For the latest event information and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.greatcharity challenge.com and follow the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greatcharitychallenge.

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