Good Hope Equestrian Training Center (GHETC) is holding its first annual “Independence Fest” charity concert and family fun day at Dodge City on Saturday March 31st 2012. This fun-filled family event will consist of contests, a silent auction & a children’s fun zone. In addition, live Country, Rock and Bluegrass entertainment will be provided by Hat Trick, CAT5 & the new and upcoming band, Grandpa’s Cough Medicine out of Jacksonville, Florida. Good Hope is honored to have the following event sponsors: Baptist Health South Florida, Guy Harvey Foundation, First National Bank of South Florida, Bradford Printing, Sports Grill of South Florida & Budweiser, Land Shark and Pepsi. All proceeds from this event will be used to benefit the Good Hope “Horses Helping Heroes” program. Good Hope is privileged to have Mr. Jimmy Cefalo, the former Miami Dolphins receiver and currently the radio talk show host of WIOD, serve as the event celebrity for this venue. We are also honored to have Mr. Colton James a nationally acclaimed country music star perform at the event. Mr. James is currently working with producer Steve Sturm on his next album, which will feature the songs, “Brave Men” and “What Keeps Her Strong.”
To date, the Horses Helping Heroes project has served over one hundred service men and women diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions: traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, spinal cord injury, as well as severe wounds, including amputations. Our service men and women have fought to safeguard our freedom, and for many, at a very dear cost. We must be certain that if our wounded service personnel and veterans need this kind of help, they will get the best Good Hope has to offer. This event will assist Good Hope in offering our injured heroes the opportunity to continue to reach their personal and rehabilitative goals, while enjoying the beauty of Good Hope’s pristine 20-acre equine environment. Good Hope’s event fundraising goal is to raise $30,000.00, so that GHETC can provide on-going rehabilitative supports for one hundred and fifty veterans in 2012.
In November 2001, Good Hope became the only Miami-Dade County Premier Accredited member center of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH). The PATH Premier Accredited Center Program offers PATH centers the chance to demonstrate their excellence in providing quality, evidence-based equine assisted activities. This process recognizes PATH centers that have met all of the established industry standards. Centers across the country that meet the accreditation requirements based on the administrative, facility, program and applicable special interest standards become a Premier Accredited Center for a period of five years. Recognizing Good Hope’s excellence in administrative and service delivery methodologies, PATH re-accredited Good Hope through March 2012.
