11th Annual Friends of Karen Charity Polo Match at Gardnertown Polo
Newburgh, New York—Gardnertown Polo Club announced that it has scheduled its annual charity Polo Match to benefit Friends of Karen to be held on Sunday, April 10th at 2:00pm at the farm in Newburgh, New York. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 845-236-4576 or 845-564-6658. There are scheduled pony rides and refreshments are available. Gardnertown Farm is located 2 miles north of the NYS Thruway Exit 17 and I-84 Exit 7 on Route 300 in the Town of Newburgh.
The match will feature a 4 chukker (period) game. This is the last indoor Polo game of the year at Gardnertown before the majority of the players continue to play outdoors at Millbrook, Middletown and Southhampton during the summer. This annual charity has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Friends of Karen since its first charity match in 1998.
Arena Polo, first introduced in the United States in New York City in 1879, is a fast paced equestrian sport- 3 people on a team with horses. A mounted umpire maintains control of the game by ensuring safe-play, calling fouls when necessary. Players and horses attain speeds up to 30 miles an hour, stopping and turning on a dime in an effort to outscore the opposition.
Friends of Karen, a not for profit 501(c )(3) organization, works to ensure the financial and emotional well-being of families coping with the extraordinary demands of their children’s life-threatening illnesses. Founded in 1978 by Sheila Peterson, Friends of Karen serves the tri-state metro New York area, supporting the children and their families with compassionate care not normally offered in local hospitals. Friends of Karen achieves its mission by:
- Providing direct financial assistance with medical care, illness-related expenses and household expenses that families cannot afford due to loss of income as a result of their child’s illness.
- Serving as an advocate for the children and their families before government and private agencies.
- Investigating resources available to the children and their families.
- Offering bereavement support for parents who have lost a child and for siblings who have lost a brother or sister.
- Assisting families through the difficult maze of health insurance problems.
- Referral source and guidance to families with ill children outside our guidelines
Gardnertown Polo was started in 1991 by Bill Dencker, owner of Gardnertown Farms. The club consists of 25 members in the metro New York and mid Hudson Valley Area. The indoor polo season runs from October through April.
The game is being played as a memorial to Peter Eric Huyler who died of Leukemia in 1994 at 2 years of age. Friends of Karen provided invaluable support to Peter and his family during his 18 month battle against childhood cancer. The organization provided emotional support, assisted in ensuring medical bills were processed and paid by the health insurance companies as well as provided bereavement support to the family after his death.
For more information on Friends of Karen contact 914-277-4547 www.FriendsofKaren.org
For more information on Gardnertown Farm contact Bill Dencker at 845-564-6658 www.gardnertownpolo.comLower Hudson Valley area