The Grand Champions Polo Club and the International Polo Club Palm Beach will celebrate the success of the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club and honor its namesake with a day of polo next month.
The “Great Futures Celebrity Polo Match” and “Great Futures Brunch at Polo” benefiting the local Boys & Girls Club are planned for Sunday, March 15. Co-chairs include Marc and Melissa Ganzi, Joe and Diana DiMenna, Marwan Mohey-El-Dien and Laura Guarisco, and Ray and Terrie Mooney.
The Great Futures Boys & Girls Club Polo Day kicks off at 10 a.m. at Grand Champions with a celebrity, three-team, round-robin polo match featuring honorary event chairs, Ralph Lauren’s “Face of Polo” Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras and America’s Most Wanted/The Hunt star John Walsh. Co-chair Melissa Ganzi looks forward to hosting the match at Grand Champions.
“Neil Hirsch has set a great example for our polo community by giving back to those who need us most here in Wellington — our children,” she said. “This celebrity match will help us make an impact on the club members, their families and our community.”
The morning match will be free to the public. The three teams will also include top polo professionals and patrons of the game. The celebrity match will be followed by a 12:30 p.m. brunch at IPC.
“We are expecting 200 sponsors and guests to join us for a wonderful culinary experience, followed by the 3 p.m. Piaget Gold Cup match,” added Ray Mooney, director of facilities for the International Polo Club and a member of the local Boys & Girls Club’s board of directors.
Jaene Miranda, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, is excited about the big day. “March 15 will be Boys & Girls Club Day at IPC. Our club members and their families will have the opportunity to be an integral part of our celebration, including the singing of the national anthem. A silent and live auction will be included in the afternoon festivities,” she said. “I’d like to personally thank our dedicated and hardworking committee members, Juan Salinas, Michelle Hall and Christin Rutz, for all of their support.”
Proceeds from the day’s events support the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington, one of several clubs in Palm Beach County providing services during non-school hours, as well as summer camp opportunities, to nearly 6,000 boys and girls from ages 6 to 18 throughout the county. The clubs emphasize educational, vocational, social, recreational, health, leadership, and character-building skills in a positive and safe atmosphere.
Sponsorships and tables of 10 are available. For more info., contact Kristen Cummins at (561) 683-3287 or kcummins@bgcpbc.org. For details, visit www.bgcpbc.org.
