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| Successful Fund Raising Efforts |
You are here: Newsletters > December 2005 > Successful Fund Raising Efforts
AJC Benefit Joust and Shawan Downs benefits -- fun for participants and spectators
By Laura W. Baier
ERRI was busy this year with the Amateur Jousting Club of Maryland’s 6th Annual Benefit Joust for ERRI on July 23rd and the Shawan Downs Benefit on Sept 24th.
Revenues from the joust totaled just over $3200. The biggest piece of that pie made up of sponsorships gathered by ERRI volunteers.
Rider’s got family, friends, and spectators to sponsor their trips through the arches to help raise the funds.
Other money was raised through parking, face painting, merchandise sales, pictures with horses and vendor donations.
Beautiful weather brought about 50 spectators to the event, some of whom had never seen a jousting match before.
The AJC has scheduled ERRI’s 7th Annual Benefit Joust for July 22, 2006. (Raindate - July 29th.)
This was ERRI’s 4th year at the Shawan Downs Legacy Chase. ERRI participates in the day’s events by providing in-field equestrian demonstrations between races.
This year, the Plantation Walking Horses of Maryland brought six horses for their colorful and educational demo. Riders in period clothing, western wear, show attire, and mounted patrol garb strutted their stuff for the 16,000+ crowd to much applause.
Shining Eye Percherons, who was supposed to do a carriage demo, had to pull out at the last minute due to equine injury.
ERRI raised about $2,000 by gathering corporate sponsorships for the demo and selling tickets to the steeplechase event.
Shawan Downs gave ERRI 50 percent of the ticket price for all tickets sold by ERRI volunteers and also donated a tent to ERRI in the Legacy Fair so volunteers could sell ERRI merchandise and educate the public about horse abuse and neglect.
ERRI hopes to bring several more exciting demos to the Shawan Downs infield in 2006 including miniature horses, the walking horses for an encore, and the Percherons. Next year’s event is slated for Sept. 30th.