More than $600,000 Raised to Benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis As...
Equestrian News Release
Tommy Lee Jones and John Walsh “Battle” in a Celebrity Polo Match at International Polo Club Palm Beach
WELLINGTON, FL – More than 450 people watched Tommy Lee Jones, “America’s Most Famous U.S. Marshall” take on John Walsh, of “America’s Most Wanted” television program fame, in a unique two-chukker polo match Saturday night at the International Polo Club Palm Beach as part of the Safari Adventure Gala and Celebrity Polo Match, presented by Hermes.
And the winner was?
While the two teams battled on the field, the real winner was The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the national fundraising arm of The Miami Project, the world’s largest, most comprehensive research center dedicated to finding more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for paralysis that results from spinal cord injury.
The more than $600,000 that was raised by this event came through the heavy support from the international polo community and friends of The Miami Project to cure paralysis.
Playing on Tommy Lee’s team was John Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club and 10-goaler Adam Snow while Mathias Guerrand Hermes and 10-goaler Mike Azarro competed on the Walsh team. Walsh scored the winning goal in the second chukker beating the Jones team, 4-3 in the last 12 seconds of the match. But the night was more than a two-chukker event.
It was a blend of the passion of Nick Buoniconti, a Hall of Fame football player and co-founder of The Miami Project, for his unrelenting drive to help find a cure for paralysis and Tommy Lee Jones, the Oscar winning actor and accomplished polo player who recognizes the dangers of his sport that made the night come alive.
Following the Safari Adventure Gala and Celebrity Polo Match presented by Hermes, Tommy Lee Jones, his wife Dawn and John Walsh, joined the several hundred guests for sumptuous cuisine served in a safari-like setting and individually prepared at the tables by 16 amazing chefs from some of South Florida’s favorite restaurants.
The chefs included Tim Andriola (Timo), Marco Arguelles (Old Marsh Golf Club), Mark Bliss (San Antonio), Michael Bloise (Wish), Michael Blum (Michael’s Kitchen), Clay Conley (Azul), Carmen Gonzalez (Carmen’s The Restaurant), Robin Haas (Chispa), Dean James Max (3030 Ocean Restaurant & Bar), Lisa Munoz (Santiago, Chile), Frank Randazzo (Tallula), Mike Sabin (Prime 112), Barbara Scott (Tuscan Steak), John Suley (Americana Ritz Carlton), Damien Watel (Bistro Vatel) and Donna Wynter (Baleen).
Host and Chairs of this fundraiser included: John Goodman - International Polo Club Palm Beach, Tim Gannon, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, Tommy Lee Jones, Oscar Award winning actor and his wife Dawn, Nick Buoniconti, Marc Buoniconti, Miami Project Ambassador and Dr. Barth Green, President and Founder of The Miami Project.
Both Jones and Buoniconti stated it best about the marriage between the international polo community and The Miami Project.
“The International Polo Community brings a great deal of beauty, art and exciting sport into the world at a great peril to life and limb. Many of our friends are crippled. It is a natural partnership with The Miami Project to seek a cure for what has been thought of as terminal spinal cord injury. With the development of stem cell research, we all want to take the word terminal out of the equation,” Jones said.
“Teaming with Tommy Lee Jones and the International Polo Club Palm Beach gives us another support system toward our goal of trying to find a cure for paralysis,” commented Nick Buoniconti. “Where else can you unite football, polo, amazing chefs and the exotic ambiance of a safari while raising money for paralysis research? This was surely a night like no other that Palm Beach has ever seen and, most importantly, it has raised significant funds and awareness for a cause dear to my heart.”
“The Buoniconti Fund strives to bring the most unique and creative fundraising events to South Florida and the country. This event combined the worlds of entertainment, food and sports to raise the bar to never-before-seen levels of fun and excitement. The big winners will be the paralysis research programs at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and those of us in wheelchairs working towards a cure,” added Marc Buoniconti.
Reader Comments
Be the first to submit a comment on this article!
Submit your comments
Link to this article
---------------------- It's easy! Just copy code below and paste into your webpage --------------------
<a href="http://www.equestrianmag.com/article/benefit-buoniconti-fund-cure-paralysis.html">More than $600,000 Raised to Benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis As...</a> ~ EquestrianMag.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your link will appear like this:
More than $600,000 Raised to Benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis As... ~ EquestrianMag.com
|
