Wellington, FL (PRWEB) April 11, 2017 -- Douglas Elliman gave a big leg up to two notable equine charities during its Winter Equestrian Festival Gala on Saturday, March 11th, during the $380,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix.
The gala evening, hosted by elite equestrians and Honorary Chairs Georgina Bloomberg and Jimmy Torano featured a thrilling evening of Grand Prix Show Jumping, a silent auction with vacation packages from around the world, music and entertainment. Proceeds raised benefitted two equestrian charities, Give a Buck for Special Equestrians and The Rider’s Closet.
After presenting the winning trophy to rider Karen Polle of Japan aboard her longtime mount, With Wings, Douglas Elliman President and CEO Dottie Herman and COO Scott Durkin, along with Florida brokerage CEO Jay Parker, COO Gus Rubio, and Palm Beach Managing Broker Don Langdon, joined the gala’s host committee – including Jessica Springsteen, Paige Johnson, Adrienne Sternlicht, Shai Tertner, Nikki Alexandra Carr, Munisha Underhill, Isabel Ernst, Alfono Goyeneche, Alex Hamer, Lillie Kennan, Heather Kuhl, Jack Morgan, Kyle Olson, Catherine Tyree, and The Honorable Patrick E. Murphy – in support of Give a Buck for Special Equestrians and The Rider’s Closet.
“Douglas Elliman is passionate about giving back to our equestrian communities and we are delighted to support the important mission of Give a Buck for Special Equestrians and The Rider’s Closet, two charities making tremendous strides for special needs horseback riders, so that they can experience the joy of horses and horsemanship while receiving the life changing benefits of equine therapy,” said Dottie Herman, President and CEO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
The event raised more than $30,000 for Give a Buck for Special Equestrians and The Rider’s Closet, which will provide 30 annual much needed scholarships for deserving children and veterans with disabilities so that they can experience the benefits of equine therapy.
Among the evening’s highlights were an inspiring speech by Lauren Martinez, a special needs horseback rider, who spoke emotionally about how her life has been forever changed through the power of equine therapy, while Dr. Heather Kuhl explained the therapeutic benefits, which range from improving balance to enhancing fine motor skills.
“Douglas Elliman is a long-standing sponsor of the Winter Equestrian Festival. We are very pleased to support such a worthwhile cause that is uplifting hearts, minds, bodies and spirits of children and veterans facing some of life’s most difficult challenges,” said Douglas Elliman Florida CEO Jay Phillip Parker.
A bevy of vacation packages enticed guests with stays at the Edwardian suite at The Plaza Hotel New York, The Fisher Island Club Valentines Resort, Oil Nut Bay and the Oasis Collections ‘The Clubhouse.’ Additionally, gift certificates were auctioned off from The Setai Miami Beach and luxury retailers, including ALEXIS and Stubbs & Wootton, while the mix of guests – comprised of noted equestrians and Douglas Elliman VIP’s – enjoyed a memorable evening.
An all-volunteer organization founded in 2013 by Sissy DeMaria, Give a Buck for Special Equestrians provides financial support to therapeutic horseback riding facilities throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and New York. Give a Buck’s mission is to share the joy of horses and horsemanship with children and veterans facing difficult physical and emotional life challenges.
Founded by Georgina Bloomberg, The Rider’s Closet is a clothing exchange program that makes important gear more accessible to therapeutic riding programs, pony clubs, intercollegiate riding programs and individual riders in need. The Rider’s Closet accepts gently used show clothes and riding gear, and then donates the items to anyone who requests them in the U.S.
“We are deeply indebted to Dottie Herman, Howard Lorber, Scott Durkin, Jay Parker, Gus Rubio and Don Langdon with Douglas Elliman for their continued support of Give a Buck and The Rider’s Closet as well as to our supporting sponsors including: ALEXIS, CC Devco, Fisher Island, Jack Morgan and GOTHAM Magazine,” said Sissy DeMaria, President of Kreps DeMaria Public Relations and Co-Founder of Give a Buck for Special Equestrians. “Thanks to their generosity we will be able to award 30 riding scholarships to deserving special needs equestrians.”
About Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Established in 1911, Douglas Elliman Real Estate is the largest brokerage in the New York Metropolitan area and the fourth largest residential real estate company nationwide. With more than 6,000 agents, the company operates approximately 85 offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, Long Island, the Hamptons & North Fork, Westchester, Greenwich, South Florida, Colorado and Beverly Hills. Moreover, Douglas Elliman has a strategic global alliance with London-based Knight Frank Residential for business in the worldwide luxury markets spanning 59 countries and six continents. The company also controls a portfolio of real estate services including Douglas Elliman Development Marketing; Manhattan’s largest residential property manager, Douglas Elliman Property Management with over 250 buildings; and DE Commercial. For more information on Douglas Elliman as well as expert commentary on emerging trends in the real estate industry, please visit http://www.elliman.com.
Ansley Campbell, Kreps DeMaria, +1 (305) 663-3543, [email protected]
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