We had the pleasure of hosting Chukkers for Charity to benefit Sentebale on Sunday, June 24. Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the forgotten victims of poverty and of the HIV/Aids epidemic. Sentebale means “forget me not” and aides orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.
“Lesotho is fighting for survival. Nearly one third of Lesotho’s people are infected with HIV/AIDS – the third highest rate in the world. There are an estimated 400,000 orphans and vulnerable children in a country of 1.8 million. Life expectancy has plummeted to 34 years.”
Although Prince Harry was not able to attend the event, the San Diego Polo Club looks forward to the innagural event and counts on his presence in San Diego in the years to come. For an exclusive interview with SDPC’s Creative Director and Living Polo, follow the link here.
We started the event with a Cancha Pequena match with students from our Polo School. Cancha Pequena is one of two new leagues at the San Diego Polo Club, which gives arena students a chance to progress on to grass polo. We also introduced a 3-goal league this summer.
West Coast Aerospace’s family sponsor, Jake Brumby played the captain, flanked by Hawaiian pro, Kimo Huddleston in the defensive position number 4. The two blondes, Kerstie Allen and Jocelyn Parker played offense. The teamwork between players led them to victory over San Fernando/San Judas.
The feature match was a close one. Family Sponsor, Colton Bancroft scored a high of 5 goals on the afternoon, but it wasn’t enough for the team to win. In Chukker 2, Diego Cossio made a phenomenal defensive move when he backed the ball out of the goal mouth and took it to the other end of the field for a point his team. Patron and the Club’s Sweetheart, Tracee Brunetti, score the most important goal of them all in the 6th chukker to win the match for La Pasion/Southwind.
After the match, Lena Evans of Sentebale announced the winner of the $17,000 diamond and emerald earrings donated by CJ Charles Jewelers of La Jolla. Guests also bid on silent auction items throughout the day. In total, we raised over $30,000 for Prince Harry’s charity, Sentebale.
