The Brooke USA Foundation, an international equine welfare organization headquartered in the United States, recently presented a $10,000 donation to the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in honor of hosting the Wellington area’s first Divertimentos & Dressage, a part of Brooke USA’s annual Paint Wellington Orange campaign. The event, which took place in March, featured a one-of-a-kind evening of live symphony music and freestyle dressage.
Held at Vinceremos, Divertimentos & Dressage attracted the participation of leading riders and their Grand Prix horses, including Todd Flettrich, Rebecca Hart, Sahar Daniel Hirosh, Allison Kavey, Jim Koford and JJ Tate. Throughout the program, the audience was captivated by the classical repertoire performed by the Palm Beach Symphony with works by Beethoven, Brahms, Holst, Mozart, Sousa and Strauss II. Brooke USA ambassador and Paralympian Hart closed the evening with a standing ovation as she performed to the music of John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes.”
Thanks to those in attendance, and a matching gift from event chair and Brooke USA founding ambassador Margaret H. Duprey, the board of directors of Brooke USA designated $10,000 in support of Vinceremos’ mission and work.
“We are thrilled to support Vinceremos and their important work,” Duprey said. “Vinceremos provides equine-assisted activities to children and adults with disabilities, and their programs have a profound impact on the lives of those they serve. We are proud to be a part of their mission and to make an impact in the western communities of Palm Beach County.”
Ruth Menor founded Vinceremos in 1982. The center’s programs use horseback riding to help people with disabilities improve their physical, emotional and social well-being. Vinceremos serves more than 500 people each year, and its programs are offered at no cost to participants.
“We are so grateful to Brooke USA for this generous donation,” said Susan Guinan, executive director of the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center. “This donation will help us continue to provide our life-changing programs to people with disabilities. We are truly honored to be a part of Brooke USA’s mission to improve the lives of horses and people around the world.”
Vinceremos is located at 13300 6th Court North in Loxahatchee Groves. Learn more about its programs at www.vinceremos.org.
Divertimentos & Dressage raised more than $80,000 toward programs across the developing world and here in the United States. The Brooke USA volunteer-created event aligns the nonprofit with the equestrian community by entertaining and engaging supporters, while raising funds to alleviate the suffering of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the people they serve in vulnerable communities worldwide.
The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival. Brooke USA is committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare.
Brooke USA strives to alleviate the suffering and vulnerability of developing communities by funding and implementing programs that improve the quality of life and health of working equines and thereby positively impacting their economic sustainability, protecting the planet, ensuring gender equality and guaranteeing life on land resilience.
To learn more about Brooke USA’s mission, or to attend future events, visit www.brookeusa.org.
