It takes a village to support the vital work happening around the clock at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and in this case, it was an Equestrian Village! LMC was selected as one of 35 teams competing in The Great Charity Challenge at Wellington International on February 1, 2025. In a colorful and competitive event at the “Saturday Night Lights” of the Winter Equestrian Festival, LMC’s team came in twentieth place, securing $24,000!
The competition was a show jumping team event, and each charity was represented by a team of three horses and riders who raced through a course relay-style for the fastest time. Each team member jumped seven obstacles as fast as possible before handing off to their teammate to start the next leg of the course, and the jumps got bigger as the course progressed! But it wasn’t just skill on display on Saturday night, it was also style.
This year, in its 16th iteration, the Great Charity Challenge theme was Global Music, and the rider teams participated in a costume contest for more than just bragging rights. Our LMC team was Disco- themed and they boogied their way third place in the costume contest before they even jumped the course, earning $2,000 in additional funds for LMC!
After the rider team costume contest, and a pet costume contest benefiting additional charities, the teams took to the course to see who could beat the clock. LMC’s team, sponsored by Fidelity Investments and the Buckingham, McCaw and Miller Families, had drawn the first turn, and we were so excited to see our team of talented riders racing around the course with no time penalties for knocking down any rails. Riders Estella Bonnani, Estelle Navet and Elizabeth Galloway also looked pretty fantastic in their mirrorball attire!
It was a talented field of riders and a fun night for our staff cheering them on. Development Director Gui Proenca and CEO Andy Dehart accepted the checks on behalf of LMC. We are so thankful to have been selected as a beneficiary of this event and the $26,000 our team won will support our work in rehabilitation, research, education and conservation. You can learn more about this fantastic community event and see photos of the dazzling costumes here.