$70,000 Raised For Cancer Charity During 2014 March To The Arch Horse Show
Photo courtesy of Eric Hardesty.
By: Brittany Bevis
Over the past eight years, the March To The Arch Horse Show, held annually in St. Louis, Missouri, has raised $345,000 to benefit various charities that promote cancer research and the development of new treatments. Now that the final tally is in, we are proud to announce that this year’s horse show raised a whopping $70,000 for the cause!
Money raised at the 2014 show will be donated to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the home of the McDonnell Pediatric Cancer Center. For more than 129 years, the St. Louis Children’s Hospital has specialized in the care and treatment of children. The Cancer Center focuses on innovative research programs that help to improve diagnostics and develop new treatments.
Will Knabenshue during the Ladies Showmanship. Photo courtesy of Eric Hardesty.
According to the Cancer Center, more than 3,000 new cases of childhood brain tumors are diagnosed each year, the majority of which are found in infants and young children. Furthermore, “brain tumors are the second most common childhood malignancy and the most common solid tumor among children.” This sad statistic means that innocent children must endure aggressive surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and are often left with debilitating handicaps, if they survive.
With the help of generous sponsors, Mark Harrell horse show management, volunteers, judges, and every horse and rider that attended the March To The Arch in February, every cent of the $70,000 raised will be put to very good use. In addition to more than 7,000 total entries and a fully sold out facility, fun events like the always popular Ladies Showmanship and silent and live auctions all helped contribute to the overall fundraising total.
Live Auction. Photo courtesy of Eric Hardesty.
The March To The Arch will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2015. Will you become a part of history by helping the show claim the title of being the largest March To The Arch ever?
We’d like to conclude with a quote from an earlier interview with Robert Dehn, trail course designer at the show and Ladies Showmanship participant, who summed up the overall spirit of the March To The Arch to a tee.
“In general, this is the biggest charitable event in the industry right now. All of the judges, show managers, gate people, and exhibitors spend their time and money to make this horse show fun. Every person that walked in the door was there for the same reason. They weren’t just there to show horses; they were there to make the lives of people struggling with cancer better.” (EquineChronicle.com, 2014)
