Sneakers squeak against the shiny, wooden floors of Wellington’s Village Park gymnasium as players race across court to pass, steal or send the ball swishing through the hoop. Their faces glisten against the fluorescent lights as they aggressively shoot for victory.
For Tyler Gilham and his friends, it’s a typical Thursday afternoon. “There’s nothing like competitive sports to make me work out harder than I’ll ever push myself at the gym, or going on a treadmill, or going for a jog,” Gilham said in a quick break before the next game. “When I’m here with the guys playing basketball, it’s more fun. I get a way better workout.”
Gilham has been playing basketball in the Village Park gymnasium for about six years, and Open Gym is just one of the many athletic outlets that the Village of Wellington offers.
All Wellington residents and non-residents 12 years old and over are welcomed and encouraged to participate in Open Gym, though there is a difference in admission. Visitors are required to show an ID before stepping onto the court. Residents can enter free of charge while non-residents are required to pay a $5 fee.
“I can bring my friends from other communities here, and they pay $5,” Gilham said. “They can get in, and we can play basketball.”
Children under 12 years old are also welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.
Along with being a relatively inexpensive activity, friends, classmates, neighbors and strangers are drawn to the Village Park gym simply because it’s indoors.
“As you get older, playing outside is just more stress on your body,” Gilham said. “Playing inside is the only way I can really play anymore.”
Open Gym is just one of many athletic programs offered by the Village of Wellington, Athletic Programs Manager Ryan Hagopian said. The village also offers sports leagues, as well as camps and academies for students over the summer, and much of it takes place indoors.
“We don’t really run any leagues during the summertime only because, one: the weather is not always cooperative during the summertime, with rain and everything like that,” Hagopian said. “But two: it’s so hot out — I mean, it’s really, really hot out for the kids, so we make sure we monitor that when we have them in summer camp. No more than an hour outside at a time to keep them safe.”
With that in mind, the campers have ample opportunity for athletics, including splashing around in the Wellington Aquatics Complex pool twice a week.
“We also have the whole facility here at Village Park to play anything from dodgeball to basketball, indoor soccer, go fishing out front, play capture the flag — a multitude of games,” Hagopian said.
The camps include activities outside of sports as well. It is set to run from June 1 to Aug. 7 this year. Ages range from 5 to 15, broken into groups by age, and prices range from $160 to $185 per week.
Registrations are currently open and are based on availability. Families can sign up for camp up until the very last minute, but early registration is encouraged. Hagopian estimated an average of 225 kids per week attended summer camp with Wellington last year.
Along with camp, children can also participate in the different “academies” the village offers. According to Hagopian, the academies are like mini camps that focus on specific sports, such as soccer, basketball or fishing.
“We also have a speed and agility camp that we run through the summertime, and that’s good for all sports,” Hagopian said. “It’s not sports-specific; it’s really working on their footwork and endurance, and gaining their speed, so you can equate that to any sport.”
Hagopian expressed a desire to provide kids with creative and athletic outlets because today’s children need time to recharge.
“When I went to school, it wasn’t nearly as stressful as it is now,” Hagopian said. “There’s so many tests and so many things that the kids have to do, and they’re doing more at younger ages. It’s not a bad thing, but [our programs are] an opportunity for them to have fun, de-stress and enjoy themselves.”
Wellington’s Community Programs Coordinator Chris O’Connor stressed his idea that social activities, whether they be sports or crafts, are important for overall health.
“I’d say the biggest aspect is getting people out and active in some way, shape or form — whether it’s mental, physical, emotional — it draws people together as well,” O’Connor said. “And that’s really important.”
The village also offers many athletic opportunities for adults, such as softball and flag football. They are also working to add a co-ed kickball league.
“Sports take your mind off of what could be going on in your life, and I think it’s really important for people to be able to do that,” Hagopian said.
Hagopian invites all Wellington families to learn more about the village’s camp offerings.
“We understand that you’ve got only 10 weeks of summer, and then you’re going right back to the grind of school,” Hagopian said. “And we want kids to have as much fun as possible during the summertime.”
To learn more about the different athletic programs that the Village of Wellington has to offer, visit www.wellingtonfl.gov and click on “Parks & Recreation.”

At Griffiths South Construction, their word is their bond, and the proof is in the pudding. All clichés aside, Griffiths has a commitment to excellence and the attention to detail that has brought it success as a new luxury home construction firm quickly establishing a footprint in the Wellington area.
The company may be the “new kid on the block” in local construction circles, but the firm has been in existence since 1992, based just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the last 18 months, the firm has had a brick-and-mortar presence in Palm Beach County. “To break into a new market is not easy,” noted Frank DeMarco, director of southern operations for Griffiths.
The company just recently finished a few home construction projects in Palm Beach County, one of which was the building of a 7,500-square-foot equestrian home in Wellington. And the company is looking to spread its wings and add to its list of already satisfied clients, especially in equestrian circles, where it has years of experience.
DeMarco said that his company is well-versed in the needs, demands and expectations of those who live an equestrian lifestyle, as the company has worked with equestrian clients for many years, having catered to them in Pennsylvania for more than two decades.
“We’re all about service,” DeMarco said. “In fact, we make sure that every client gets what they ask for and then some. We have that extra gear. We want to produce special projects and be proud of them, as if we owned them.”
That corporate attitude produces satisfied and happy clients. And then word of mouth brings more clients.
The most recent project for Griffiths South Construction was the four-bedroom, four-bath house in Wellington. It included the installation of some unique items inside the house, such as metal and glass windows imported from Italy, six custom pecky cypress barn doors, three fireplaces (two of which are raised), a media room with a big-screen television with surround sound, an 8-foot-by-8-foot island in the kitchen, a pool cabana with a large covered barbecue grill complete with sink and ice maker, Old Chicago brick inside on the walls, interior cypress shutters on many of the windows and a number of antique salvaged oak beams in the ceiling. The interior flooring is a mixture of wide-plank hardwood and tile. Outside, the 16-foot-by-30-foot pool is heated and surrounded by Dominican coral. The half-moon driveway was built using Old Chicago brick.
It’s fair to say that no expense was spared to build the house to the owner’s exacting specifications. The mission was to build a house to look as if it was far older and more seasoned than it really was. The mission was accomplished.
In a nutshell, when a client makes a special request, DeMarco and his associates deliver the order — every time and on time.
This philosophy of service — before, during and after construction — has been a cornerstone of the Griffiths organization since its inception, and it remains a pivotal part of the southern team’s approach. For Griffiths South Construction, no request by a client is ever too much to handle.
The 7,500-square-foot home in Wellington, which is built on nine acres, has been raised four feet higher than the nearby road used to access the property. That means if the local roads are impacted by flooding, then the home will be high and dry. The project also includes a horse barn on the back of the property that has enough room for seven horses. Two of the additions to the horse barn were the installation of a laundry room and a horse treadmill. After all, there are times when the weather in Wellington is not conducive to outdoor exercise for the horses.
Griffith’s South Construction is so dedicated to every project that its crew, especially the superintendent, knows the ins and outs of every property often better than the owner.
“Our guys live the jobs,” DeMarco said. “They put their heart and soul into every project. The details are important — both to us and our clients.”
That’s why DeMarco and his employees at Griffiths South Construction are happy to be judged and rated on every project. They would agree that their word is their bond, and the proof is always in the pudding. Clearly, their bond is rock solid, and the pudding always tastes great.
Griffiths South Construction is headquartered at 1750 N. Florida Mango Road in West Palm Beach. For more information, call (561) 805-5300 or e-mail fdemarco@griffithsconstruction.net. Learn more about the company at www.griffithsconstruction.net.

They say winning isn’t everything. But for Brandon Phillips, a pediatric cancer survivor and professional polo player, winning isn’t everything — it is the only thing. Especially when the game was his life.
The emotional will of an athlete can overcome many things — even a cancer diagnosis. Phillips was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he was 14 years old. Doctors predicted he had just weeks to live. Yet, after months of hospitalization and unrelenting treatments, his rugged athletic spirit helped him survive.
This drive that enabled Phillips to conquer his boyhood battle with cancer keeps him devoted to helping others fight the disease that nearly took his life. Now, as founder of Polo for Life, Phillips uses his world-class status as a professional polo player to aid children and their families facing the same diagnosis.
In 2014, Brandon Phillips and Terrie Mooney created Polo for a Purpose, an annual charity polo match and dinner to benefit pediatric cancer patients in the local community. Collectively, Phillips and Mooney felt there was more to be done, so in 2018, they created Polo for Life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to help support pediatric cancer patients and their families through direct impact initiatives. To date, Polo for Life has raised nearly $2 million for children battling pediatric cancer.
This year’s sixth annual Polo for a Purpose: Passage to India, presented by the Postage Stamp Farm Foundation and co-chaired by PJ Rizvi and Visse Wedell, raised more than half a million dollars. Held at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, more than 1,000 guests kicked off the warm and sunny January afternoon by exploring the Vendor Village and Kids Zone before the elite polo match began.
During the match’s opening ceremonies, the polo players each took the field joined by a pediatric cancer patient donning a matching polo jersey. Emma, 9, accompanied Ashley Busch; Lily, 4, accompanied Brandon Phillips; Johan, 9, accompanied Mariano Aguerre; Jonathan, 3, accompanied Kris Kampsen; Calliah, 5, accompanied Lucienne Elms; Johnny, 5, accompanied Martin Pepa; Geo, 15, accompanied Larin Zubiaurre; and Katherine, 10, accompanied Jeff Blake. Newly crowned Miss Florida USA Monique Evans made her debut by bowling in the ball to officially begin the match.
Team Monarch Reign, captained by Ashley Busch, a U.S. Polo Assn. brand ambassador, defeated Team Horse Scout, captained by Horse Scout CEO Lucienne Elms, 8-4 after a fast-paced match. Best Playing Pony, sponsored by Five Star Builders, went to Ashley Busch’s Ciril, and the game MVP, sponsored by the Wedell Family Foundation, was awarded to Mariano Aguerre.
During the match, guests enjoyed an Indian inspired cocktail reception, sponsored by Lisa Torell and Mark Finerman. Held on the Pavilion’s terrace, the cocktail reception featured lavish touches, including a live camel, henna tattoo artist, exquisite belly dancers and fine hors d’oeuvres.
However, the real party started at the end of the polo match. A sit-down dinner sponsored by the KVMB Foundation wowed the crowd with several courses of modern Indian cuisine, followed by a live auction. The highlight of the evening was listening to pediatric cancer patients and their families share their stories. In a particularly touching moment, pediatric cancer patient Emma LaPaglia, age 9, presented Phillips with a plaque declaring him a hero.
“This year’s event was a very special year for me,” Phillips said. “Not only was it Polo For Life’s inaugural year as an organization, but also it was very humbling to have Emma present me the Hero Award. I was not expecting that.”
All of the funds raised by Polo for Life go directly to their beneficiaries, which include the Pediatric Oncology Support Team in West Palm Beach, the Kids Cancer Foundation in Royal Palm Beach, the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation in Hollywood, the Miami Cancer Institute in Miami and the local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Polo for Life credits the Postage Stamp Farm Foundation and other generous friends for their continued support. “We are so grateful for the support of everyone who made this event possible,” Executive Director Terrie Mooney said. “The generosity at our Polo for a Purpose event exceeded all expectations.”
A little over a month after Polo for a Purpose, the Polo for Life team went on a goodwill tour visiting each of the organizations that the group supports. One by one, each of the five beneficiaries was surprised with a large check — both in size and in dollar amount. Gasps and cheers filled the rooms as the $90,000 amount was revealed. One by one, eyes grew watery and voices grew thick as recipients realized the magnitude of such a gift of charity and selflessness. Each beneficiary has plans to put its funding to good use.
Polo is a game full of complexities. It can be dangerous, as players gallop on horseback, swinging a four-foot mallet at a baseball-sized ball while pursued by the opposing team. In many ways, polo is courage and resiliency in motion. As polo players and horses thundered down IPC’s renowned Field One during Polo for a Purpose’s sunset charity match, children and their families battling cancer stood tall on the sidelines. They understood that much like their battle with cancer, the players were willing to do whatever it took to win that game.
Learn more about Polo for Life at www.poloforlife.org.