Wellington Equestrian Group Brightens Christmas Season For Caridad Families By Lauren Miró
Determined to make sure needy families have a bright and happy holiday, the Wellington Equestrian Group once again hosted the Caridad Center Christmas Party at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on Saturday, Dec. 14. The event highlights the generosity of Wellington’s equestrian community, as equestrians from near and far reached out to provide Christmas cheer for more than 120 families served by the Caridad Center, a free health clinic that works with needy people in Palm Beach County. “The enthusiasm from the equestrian community has been wonderful,” Chairwoman Caroline Moran said. “They’ve really embraced this event.” Members of the Wellington Equestrian Group have been helping needy families for more than 25 years. Event founders B.J. Meeks and Pablo Perez launched the initiative after seeing so many families in need. “We had been shopping for a friend of ours and couldn’t find anything we thought was appropriate,” Meeks said. “On our way up Boynton Beach Blvd., we passed a party at [a] soup kitchen with a lot of
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January 2014 |wellington the magazine| 10th Anniversary
children running around. I said, ‘This is where our money should be going.’” Event co-chairs Moran, Bruce Duchossois and Nancy Hooker became involved over the years and, in 2009, they began partnering with the Caridad Center. “In order for families to come, they must have been a patient at Caridad,” Moran explained. “To be a patient, they must be below the poverty line.” With smiles on their faces and bags full of toys, many children received what will be their only Christmas presents. The event, held in the equestrian center’s International Tent, was a day filled with fun for the families, complete with a DJ, magician, face painters, a visit from Santa Claus, food provided by PDQ and Cilantro and, of course, presents. “Each child gets a Christmas stocking filled with candy,” Hooker said. “They go home with presents,