Elant Polo Picnic nets $57,000, a 26.6% increase over last year

Sept. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Middletown, N.Y. – The Ninth Annual Elant Polo Picnic at the Blue Sky Polo Club in Middletown welcomed 230 guests and netted a total of $57,000 this year, a 26.6 percent increase over last year!

Combined, the Elant Foundation’s major annual events – the Elant Polo Picnic and the Elant Golf Open – helped net $105,000, an all-time record for Elant’s fundraising events in one year.

“Both of these events represent teamwork at its very best,” said Mike Smith, Elant vice president and chairman of both the Elant Golf Open Committee and the Elant Polo Picnic Committee. “Because of such overwhelming support from the communities we serve, we were able to overcome the constant challenge of a difficult economic environment, and for that we are very grateful.”

Proceeds from both events will benefit Elant’s sub-acute and rehabilitation programs, which provide comprehensive, in-patient care for those recovering from an acute illness or injury following a hospital stay. Over the past two years Elant’s supporters have helped renovate a significant portion of Elant’s rehabilitation units, and allowed for the purchase of new therapy equipment.

This year, the Elant Foundation included several new opportunities to support Elant’s rehabilitation programs by allowing Polo guests the option of donating directly toward a specific piece of rehabilitation equipment. The concept helped raise an additional $2,400, which will contribute to the purchase of an advanced stationary bicycle, a treadmill, and a CPM machine (a device used to gently flex and extend the knee joint).

Mrs. Ursula Degenhardt, a long-standing Goshen resident and a member of the Elant, Inc. Board of Directors, was recognized during the Polo event with the Elant Flame of Excellence Award in honor of her 35-year commitment to volunteerism in Orange County. The Elant Foundation also offered special recognition to several of Elant’s long-standing business partners, including Armistead Mechanical, Inc., Burke, Miele & Golden, LLP, Employee Family Protection, Inc., Med-World Pharmacy, an OmniCare Company, O’Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, LLP, Provident Bank & Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, and Unitex Textile Rental Services.

“Ursula is a born leader, someone who is never satisfied doing things right,” said Michael Donnelly, who sits on the Elant, Inc. Board of Directors with Mrs. Degenhardt. “Instead, Ursula insists on doing the right thing.”

Joining the Elant Polo Picnic for the first time this year was Goshen Historic Track President Bernie White and special guest and Hambletonian winner Ray Schnittker.

Polo spectators enjoyed an elegant cocktail party with music, a luncheon served under tents, a champagne toast and divot stomp, a 25th anniversary cake, a hat contest, a silent auction & live auction with auctioneer Mark Vail, and of course, a rousing polo match!

Winners of Annual Elant Polo Picnic hat contest included:

•   Wendy Rosinski, Whimsical
•   Albert Mastice, Whimsical
•   Christian Ravaglioli, Classic
•   Isabella Minuta, Classic
•   Richard Wallace, Original
•   Cornelia Early, Original

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Elant, Inc., a community-based, not-for-profit organization, has been a part of the Hudson Valley healthcare landscape for the past 25 years. Its seven campuses, located across five counties, serve an estimated 3,500 people daily and provide sub-acute care and rehabilitation services, nursing home care, assisted living, adult day care, retirement community living, home health care, and a managed long-term care plan. Elant’s mission is to provide personalized, high-quality care and lifestyle options to persons of diverse generations, cultures, means, and needs.