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Why Your Support Means So Much . . .
The EQUUS Foundation is deeply grateful to be the beneficiary of the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show, which will be held on Tuesday-Saturday, June 19-23, 2012, and culminate with the $25,000 Fairfield Grand Prix and EQUUS Benefit Luncheon on Saturday, June 23, 2012.
The EQUUS Foundation, a national charitable foundation established in Connecticut in 2002, is dedicated to improving the quality of life of horses, promoting the use of horses to enrich the lives of people in need and educating the public about the horse’s unique ability to empower, teach and heal. The goal is to transform the way horses are treated and perceived and build a more compassionate America that values the magical and powerful bond we have with horses.
Public interest in the therapeutic role of horses has never been stronger . . .
Horses have a way of making us feel everything from excitement to joy to tranquility. Age is not a limitation – horses are helping children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. By bonding with these gentle giants, we learn to take control of our lives and become more capable of facing life’s challenges. No other animal can make us feel the breadth of emotions that our equine partners do.
Therapeutically, horses have long been helping individuals bear the burdens of disabilities and debilitating diseases, and helping individuals overcome economic disadvantages.
As our soldiers return home from a war overseas, horses are serving as a part of a national program, Horses for Heroes, using therapeutic riding, to help rehabilitate our veterans both physically and emotionally from the traumas of war.
Most recently, horses are coming to the aid of children with autism. Autism represents perhaps the fastest growing population who can benefit from equine therapies. Based on Center for Disease Control (CDC) data, an average of 1 in 110 children have been diagnosed with autism, a 57% increase in the rate of diagnosis based on a 4-year CDC study conducted from 2002 to 2006. A U.S. Department of Education study determined that autism diagnosis is growing at a rate of 10-17% year.
Young, vital and thriving . . .
The Foundation awarded its first grants in 2003 to seven local horse charities. Recognizing that horses are enriching the lives of millions of people of all ages every day, in 2008, the Board of Directors made a commitment to expand nationally, and also adopted the name, "Horse Charities of America", to more clearly convey its commitment to all equine charities.
Thanks to the generous support of individual donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations who share our vision, participation at our signature events, and our Horse Whisperers named grant program, the Foundation has grown exponentially. Since then, the Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in grants and has achieved national recognition as the primary organization solely focused on both horse welfare and fostering the horse-human connection in the sport and therapeutic communities.
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R.S.V.P. Online!
All donations made by individuals include a class sponsorship and will be recognized in the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show Official Program if received by May 1, 2012. Class sponsorships are assigned based on the sponsorship category selected by the donor on a first-come, first-served basis.
Donations of $500 or more include attendance at The EQUUS Foundation Benefit Luncheon on Saturday, June 23, 2012, held in conjunction with the $25,000 Fairfield Grand Prix, the culminating event of the five-day horse show.
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Sponsor A Class!
If you would prefer to mail in your donation, click below to download our donation form.
Fairfield County Hunt Club Members may charge their donations to their Club accounts.
Corporate Sponsorship
In addition to the gratification of supporting a very worthy charity and local community interests, the show offers one of the best marketing exposures to the upwardly mobile members of the Fairfield County Hunt Club and equestrian participants from Fairfield and Westchester counties, and the metropolitan New York area.
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The EQUUS Foundation accomplishes its mission by providing financial support through the award of grants to equine-related charities across the United States; operating a network of equine organizations and equine enthusiasts; providing scholarships to award volunteer service on behalf of horses to stimulate volunteerism and advocacy, offering insight on management and financial practices of horse-related charities through a thorough review of their operations; and conducting information outreach to educate the public about horses.
Grant Awards
The EQUUS Foundation funds a broad range of programs , most of which are directly involved with horse rescue and welfare, or are providing equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) to the public, and require extensive evaluation to determine which ones will receive the limited funds available for grant awards. Only 501(c)(3) public charities and government entities are eligible to apply for grants.
The merits of each grant request and the quality of the applicant organization, including its management and financial practices, are carefully evaluated. The selection of the grant recipients by the Board of Directors is based on the amount of funds raised over the course of the year and a set of guidelines designed to ensure that the donations we receive make the greatest possible impact.
EQUUS Alliance
The Foundation established the EQUUS Alliance to recognize the contributions of organizations involved in the equine community whose activities and programs complement and enhance the Foundation’s mission.
The EQUUS Alliance offers a mechanism to address national areas of common interest in the equine community and the means to support programs of Alliance members that educate the public about horses, provide services that benefit the equine community, and help stimulate advocacy and volunteerism on behalf of horses.
Carrots4acause Network - Stimulating Volunteerism and Advocacy for Horses
The Foundation strives to provide financial support to every worthy charity; however, on the average, less than half of the applicant organizations receive grant awards due to the limited funds available. There are, in fact, thousands of charities in the United States that are eligible to apply. These service providers are experiencing the same decline in financial support that is affecting nonprofits across the nation. To offset the financial decline, many of these organizations are seeking volunteers to avoid reductions in programs and services.
To meet this need for voluntary support, The EQUUS Foundation launched the carrots4acause network to bring together interested individuals with equestrian and horse-related organizations across America and build a support base of equine advocates. Equine-related organizations are provided with a complimentary profile page to educate visitors about their mission and programs, recruit volunteers, and secure essential products and services.
Rewarding our Champions with Scholarships
CHAMPIONS is our incentive-based equine service volunteer program to recognize and reward individuals and organizations on the carrots4acause network. To become a CHAMPION, an individual must log at least 24 volunteer hours from January 1st to December 31st for an organization or organizations on the carrots4acause network. The volunteer hours will be verified by the organization and The EQUUS Foundation. Champions have the opportunity to win grants for their favorite charities and be awarded academic scholarships.
America’s Favorite Equestrians
America’s Favorite Equestrian is an innovative program to honor our equestrian heroes and support our equine heroes, sponsored by The EQUUS Foundation and the United States Equestrian Federation.
Humanitarian Award
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and The EQUUS Foundation joined together in 2009 to establish The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award to celebrate the humanitarian achievements made by a member of the equestrian world. From improving the health and welfare of the horse to promoting and expanding the general public's appreciation and respect of the diverse role of horses not just in equestrian sports but also as aides to the general public, the recipient of this award will be someone who has devoted considerable personal time to making the quality of life of our equine partners paramount. The goal of this humanitarian honor is to spotlight and exalt the selfless dedication one individual or a group of individuals has made, whether on a regional or national scale.
The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award is presented during the Pegasus Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting. The winner receives a $5,000 grant from The EQUUS Foundation to be awarded to a horse-related charity of his or her choice.
Best in America
The EQUUS Foundation has been awarded the "Best in America" seal by the Independent Charities of America annually since 2009. This Seal is awarded to charities that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, and program and cost effectiveness. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded the “Best in America” seal.
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Thanks to the generosity of its donors, The EQUUS Foundation helps thousands of people and horses each year. We hope you will support The EQUUS Foundation at the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show and welcome you to sign up to receive news of our programs and activities at www.equusfoundation.org/get-involved-individual.php.
Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contact The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., at 168 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880, Tele: (203) 259-1550, E-Mail: equus@equusfoundation.org, Website: www.equusfoundation.org.
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