Displaying items by tag: health
Saratoga Regional YMCA Kicks – Off Annual Fundraising Campaign
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Concluding the month of love and heart-healthy awareness, the Saratoga Regional YMCA (SRYMCA) kicks off this year’s “Be a Hero” campaign for their annual fundraiser.
A Week of Health and Wellness
Swing of Fire Lights Up Gala
SARATOGA SPRINGS –With the top auction items priced at $55,000 and $35,000, this year’s auction at Saratoga Hospital’s 33rd Annual Summer Gala features items with a higher value than any year prior. All proceeds benefit the services and programs at the Saratoga Community Health Center. The theme for this year’s gala is “Caddyshack” and it will be held Wednesday, August 5 at 6 p.m. at Polo Meadow at the Saratoga Casino and Raceway.
Jim Sasko at Teakwood Builders has teamed up with six other companies to construct the Swing of Fire, a $35,000 outdoor space. It features three swinging benches surrounding a gas fire pit donated by Mohawk Heating Company. The Swing of Fire was designed by Balzer and Tuck, timber was donated by Legacy Limber and Frames with finishes by Winslow Painting. After installation, New Dimensions Outdoor Services makes sure the backyard is exquisitely landscaped . The Swing of Fire will be installed by a massive crane the Monday before the gala so it can be on display that night. The organizations collaborated in a concentrated effort to make the Swing of Fire an amazing backyard spectacle.
“We knew we wanted to build something that was going to be creative and mobile. It has to be able to be assembled on site and reassembled in new location. It’s been a lot of fun,” said Jim Sasko, of Teakwood Builders. “Putting it together is going great, it’s really cool. I hope it goes to a nice home where someone can enjoy it.”
A $55,000 Kentucky Derby experience also tops the auction list. Donated by Marylou Whitney and her husband John, six guests will be flown in a private jet to Louisville for the 2016 Kentucky Derby where they will sit in the famous Whitney Box on the finish line. Guests will also receive VIP transportation from the airport to Churchill Downs. Dinner and champagne will be served on the ride home.
The gala starts at 6 p.m. with the auction beginning at 7 p.m. For dinner, guests will enjoy locally grown food prepared by Executive Chef Steve Nash, signature cocktails and open bar, plus dessert.
For tickets please visit http://saratogahospital.org/services/events/the-summer-gala-2/
Equestrian/Philanthropist Victoria McCullough and Team Valor’s Barry Irwin to be honored at Equine Advocates’ Thirteenth Annual Awards Dinner & Charity Auction
CHATHAM – Victoria McCullough, international equestrian, philanthropist and the owner of Chesapeake Petroleum and Team Valor’s Barry Irwin, owner of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, will be honored at Equine Advocates’ Thirteenth Annual Awards Dinner & Charity Auction on Friday, July 25. The event will be held at Fasig-Tipton in Saratoga Springs.
Ms. McCullough will receive the Safe Home Equine Protection Award for her work to end the slaughter of America’s horses. Her meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and other members of the Executive Branch led to Vice President Biden adding language defunding horse slaughter in the United States to the 2014 Omnibus Bill which President Obama signed on January 17.
“If anyone deserves to be honored for outstanding achievements to protect horses, it is Victoria McCullough,” said Equine Advocates President, Susan Wagner. “She has accomplished what no one has ever done by gaining the support of the administration against horse slaughter which is opposed by the vast majority of Americans. Victoria gathered the science and the facts to prove how slaughtering horses for food is unethical because it is toxic and a serious threat to human health and food safety. Thanks to Victoria’s continuing dedication and generosity I believe we are now on our way to reaching the ultimate goal of a permanent federal ban of horse slaughter.”
Barry Irwin will receive the Ellen and Herbert Moelis Equine Savior Award for his work to ban the use of performance-enhancing drugs in racehorses on race day. He has been one of the most outspoken and eloquent voices in the nation calling for the end of this practice in horse racing.
“Barry Irwin has been a positive force in our industry for many years,” said Ellen and Herb Moelis in a joint statement. “Team Valor, which Barry founded, has been at the pinnacle of our industry. He has managed the career of one of the most interesting horses of our time – Animal Kingdom. His passion for the integrity of our sport has been exemplary. We are proud that Barry will be the recipient of the 2014 Moelis Equine Savior Award by Equine Advocates.” The Moelis’s co-founded the Thoroughbred Charities of America with the late Allaire du Pont and were honored by Equine Advocates in 2002 for their strong support of equine rescue.
General tickets are $250 per person and include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing. For more information, call (518) 245-1599. All proceeds from this event will benefit Equine Advocates Horse Rescue, Sanctuary and Humane Education programs.
Equine Advocates – P.O. Box 354 – Chatham, NY 12037
www.equineadvocates.org – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Costume Drive Takes Spook Out of Spending for Struggling Families
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Halloween just got a little less scary for struggling parents who feared the cost of buying a new costume for their little monsters.