What if stardom wasn’t all about Hollywood movies, holding an award or surpassing one million followers on Instagram?
Determined to redefine the recognition of true stars,the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) would like to invite you to join other generous sponsors as the Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments® (GCC) hosts its ninth annual event on Saturday, February 3, 2018.
Blending philanthropy with equestrian sport, the GCC is an exciting show jumping event that brings hope to over 40 Palm Beach County charities every year. With a goal of distributing $1.5 million in one evening, prize money for participating charities will range from $150,000 to $1,000, ensuring that every charity is a winner. To date, the event has distributed $10.8 million to over 220 Palm Beach County charities.
The GCC is an exciting pro-am relay that brings together equestrian families and companies as they sponsor teams for $25,000 and $10,000 respectively. Each team is assigned to compete in representation of a selected charity, offering amateur riders the chance to compete side-by-side with their Olympic and world-class professional heroes and role models.
Additional donations from local families, businesses, sponsors, vendors, exhibitors and spectators, ranging from $500 to $50,000, are what make the event reach its fundraising goal of $1.5 million every year.
Organizations benefiting from the GCC continue to serve and support the local community’s growth and well being. Their outreach and dedicated work spans many different sectors within the Palm Beach County region, including veteran aid, animal advocacy and rescue, foster care, senior citizen care, and family support, to name just a few. For a full list of recipients and benefiting charities to date, including this year’s selected organizations, please visit: www.greatcharitychallenge.com.
Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC (ESP), and co-founder of the Great Charity Challenge with his daughter Paige, commented, “Equestrian Sport Production LLC, the operational organizer that oversees the equestrian events at the PBIEC venue throughout the year, donates the facility, staff and infrastructure to ensure the success of the event and guarantees that 100% of the funds raised are redistributed in the community. We hope that it will become the legacy of our partnership with this community for many years to come.”
Paige Bellissimo, co-founder of the GCC, added, “This distinctive event is a wonderful way to give back to the organizations that are working so diligently to make our community a better place. All of the participating nonprofits undergo a thorough vetting process prior to their acceptance into the pool of applicants; from there, the drawings are 100% held at random to guarantee that everyone has a chance to participate. Fund usage updates are provided for one full year post event to ensure that our supporters are part of the organizations’ journey along the way.”
Customized sponsorship opportunities start at $500; please click here for additional information on how to become part of this community effort.
Mark your calendars for the 2018 GCC to be held on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the PBIEC during the Winter Equestrian Festival’s popular “Saturday Night Lights” series. This family-friendly event offers free general admission and will feature this year’s event theme: “A Night When Everyone’s a Star” will celebrate Hollywood feature films. Spectators can enjoy the rider’s intricate costumes and Hollywood feel, while supporting their favorite charity as riders compete for their nonprofit’s share of the $1.5 million dollar purse.
For more information on the Great Charity Challenge (GCC) please visit www.greatcharitychallenge.com and to learn more about Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) please visit www.pbiec.com.
About Fidelity Investments
Fidelity’s mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $6.8 trillion, including managed assets of $2.4 trillion as of December 30, 2017, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 26 million people invest their own life savings, 23,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing more than 12,500 financial advisory firms with investment and technology solutions to invest their own clients’ money. Privately held for 70 years, Fidelity employs more than 40,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about.
Please visit www.greatcharitychallenge.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information on the GCC.
https://gcc.coth.com/gallery/2017-event#prettyPhoto
Photography by Lois Spatz www.loisspatz.com
