Wellington, FL – July 7, 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.
“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.”
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/ or clicking on the image below.
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.
For ease of review, fund use reports are further divided into 4 different reports:
- The combined report, with organizations who were randomly paired with riders and who competed in the event in addition to randomly selected grants: https://online.fliphtml5.com/xotys/waxs/
- The organizations who received grants from the Doyle Family Foundation: https://online.fliphtml5.com/xotys/sglw/
- The organizations who received grants from the Postage Stamp Farm Pet Parade: https://online.fliphtml5.com/xotys/udlu/
To stay up to date, we invite you to follow us on Facebook: @greatcharitychallenge and Instagram: @great_charity_challenge
For additional information about the event, including donation and sponsorship information, please visit www.greatcharitychallenge.com
About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity’s mission is to strengthen the financial well-being of our customers and deliver better outcomes for the clients and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $11.1 trillion, including discretionary assets of $4.2 trillion as of March 31, 2023, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers. Privately held for over 75 years, Fidelity employs over 70,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.
About the Winter Equestrian Festival
The Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is the world’s largest and longest-running equestrian festival in the world, located in Wellington, Florida. Held at Wellington International, the 13-week competition features classes for all ages and levels ranging from beginners on ponies to Olympic champions at the elite level, as well as elevated viewing options for spectators and fans. WEF is managed by Equestrian Sport Productions, which is a part of the Global Equestrian Group. For more information, please visit www.WellingtonInternational.com.
