In 2009, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the The EQUUS Foundation jointly established the Humanitarian Award to celebrate the humanitarian achievements made by a member of the equestrian community. Specifically, the goal of this humanitarian honor is to spotlight and exalt the selfless dedication one individual or a group of individuals has made, whether on a regional or national scale.
From improving the health and welfare of the horse to promoting and expanding the general public's appreciation and respect of the diverse role of horses not just in equestrian sports but also as aides to the general public, the recipient of this award will be someone who has devoted considerable personal time to making the quality of life of our equine partners paramount.
Nancy Koch was selected as the first award recipient in 2010 from a number of qualified nominees in recognition of her leadership in establishing CANTER (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses) as a solution to help racehorses find new careers by connecting buyers and sellers through posting racehorses for sale on the Internet.
The USEF/EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award is limited to individuals. Corporations, organizations, affiliate groups and businesses are not eligible. However, this may be amended in exceptional circumstances based on a case-by-case basis. While the winner of the award is limited to individuals, an organization may serve as a nominator. Posthumous nominees will not be accepted.
Those individuals who are professionally employed in a full-time manner by a company or entity whose sole purpose is to work for the aforementioned qualities and philanthropic ends will only be considered as an acceptable nominee in certain circumstances. These include if their contributions have been widely viewed as exception beyond their required work performance or if their achievements and dedication is noted as being far beyond the call of duty.
Any member of the equestrian community may make a nomination for an individual to be considered for the Humanitarian Award. A nomination form will be made available to any such person or group making a nomination and a definitive amount of information must be provided in detail in order for the nominee to be accepted. This information will include the following:
? An explanatory, written statement as to why the individual is worthy of the award;
? Biographical information of the nominee;
? Specific examples of their philanthropic work, including their involvement (time spent, duration of work, type of work, etc.);
? Supportive materials such as written testimonials or letters from those who have been affected by the nominees contributions; and
? Any additional materials deemed worthy by the nominator.
Nominations must be received by November 8, 2010. The nomination form is available on the USEF website at http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/Nominations/EQUUS.aspx.
For more information about the nominations process, contact Trisha Watkins at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) at [email protected].
About The EQUUS Foundation, Inc.
The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., established in August 2002, as a 501(c)(3) national charitable foundation, seeks to raise public awareness of the value of the horse in society through education and the awarding of grants to charities that use the horse to benefit the public, promote the health and welfare of horses, and elevate the equestrian sport as a whole.
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, which is responsible for the selection of the grant recipients. The Board includes: Jenny Belknap Kees, Chairman, Catherine Herman, Vice Chairman, Jane FitzGerald, Secretary/Treasurer, Lynn Coakley, President, David Distler, David Goodwin, Frank Madden, Richard Mitchell DVM, Clea Newman Soderlund, Susan Weber and Visse Wedell.
Thanks to the generosity of its donors, The EQUUS Foundation helps thousands of people and horses each year. Over $1.5 million in grants have been awarded since the first awards in 2003. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contact The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., at 168 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880, Tele: (203) 259-1550, E-Mail: [email protected], website: www.equusfoundation.org.