“A Little Show to Raise a Little Money” PVDA Raises Over $1 Million for Johns Hopkins Breast Center
By Katherine O. Rizzo Over the course of only 20 years, the Potomac
Valley Dressage Association Ride for Life show has raised more than $1 million in dona- tions for the Johns Hopkins University Breast Center. One milliona dollars … from a local, volunteer-based organization during a two-day show. Tat is an average of $50,000 per show and $25,000 per competition day. Te money raised is not the only reason
PVDA has put on this show. It is also to raise breast cancer awareness and celebrate breast cancer survivors as well as to honor those who lost their lives.
A Vision of Hope Te first Ride for Life show was held as a
small one-day USEF-licensed dressage show in October of 2004 at the then Menfelt Farm in Frederick. It was the brainchild of PVDA member and breast cancer survivor Pat Artimovich. Artimovich was a
horse crazy kid who took a break from riding as an adult while she pursued law school and raised a family. In 1999 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. While undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins, she developed a close friendship with Lillie Shockney, who was a Johns Hopkins nurse and two-time breast cancer survivor. Shockney is now a University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Can- cer, among many other titles, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “I remember her one time pushing a doctor out of the room, giving me a hug and saying, ‘I’ll be with you the whole way,’” Artimovich said of Shockney’s care during her treatments. Shockney and others involved with Arti-
she explained. Once she found how much she loved dressage, Artimovich looked for more ways to get involved with the sport and began volunteering with PVDA. “I also reconnected with Jeannette [Bair], who was a longtime friend, and it was like we never missed a beat!” Artimovich said. During this time, Artimovich was also vol-
Ride for Life’s Rider Donations Coordinator Jeannette Bair personally raised over $100,000 for Johns Hop- kins over the years.
unteering at Hopkins as part of its survivors’ program. “Here I was volunteering at dressage shows and at Hopkins and I just wanted to find a way to support both,” she explained. She mentioned to Jocelyn Pearson, who was then on PVDA’s board, an idea she had to create a benefit show on PVDA’s calendar and offered to buy the prizes with her own money as well. “Te idea wasn’t initially received enthusiasti- cally,” she said, but eventually, Artimovich con- vinced the PVDA board to host a “little show to raise a little money.” “In my heart of hearts, I could never give John Hopkins a million dollars myself,” Ar- timovich said. “But I firmly believe that the fusion of pas- sion and purpose can make anything happen.” Shockney echoes Artimovich’s feelings stating, “Pat is proof that when passion and purpose come together, ex- traordinary things will always happen.” “I NEVER ex- pected [Ride
for
Life] to become as huge as it did,” Shockney said. “My expectation was perhaps raising a maximum of $10,000… and that would have been fine and greatly appreciated.” Shockney, who was often called a cheerleader by Ride for Life organizers added, “Years later, [PVDA has] exceeded $1 million. Pat’s efforts working with the PVDA board went way beyond what I ever imagined could happen.”
movich’s treatment encouraged her to think of things she wanted to fight for. “Of course, that was my children and my husband,” she said, adding, “But I also wanted to ride again, and made that a goal.” “I believe [riding] was therapy for Pat… and
a goal she greatly wanted to achieve,” Shockney stated. “She in turn inspired other riders to want to make a difference in the world of breast cancer.” Artimovich got back in the saddle as soon
as her treatments ended. “I was very physically weak at first and rode a lot of schooley types before really getting involved with dressage,”
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In the Beginning…
At the first show, riders found donors to pledge $1 per point earned on one test during the show. In dressage, the higher scores win, thus the high- er the score, the more money raised. “We raised about $3,000 that first year,” said PVDA board member Carolyn Del Grosso. “Ten the follow- ing year, at Menfelt, we more than doubled that, raising around $7,000.” In 2006, the show was moved to Taylor Made in Damascus and raised around $33,000, according to Del Grosso. PVDA member Jeannette Bair came on board the third year of the show, when it was at Taylor
Ride for Life’s founder Pat Artimovich presents Dr. David Euhus of Johns Hopkins with a check representing the over $1 million raised for Johns Hopkins Breast Center. The grand total over 20 years is $1,037,770!
Made. “I had asked her to scribe at one of the early shows and afterwards, Jeannette offered to help raise more funds,” Artimovich stated. Since then, Bair has held many roles including volunteer, donor, fundraiser and rider. “I met Pat [Artimovich] at Westinghouse
where we both worked but we lost touch when I left the company,” Bair said, adding, “Ten one day I put an ad in Te Equiery for a half lease on one of our horses and Pat answered the ad and we started riding together.” Bair began riding in college and quickly went
from basic lessons to jumping and foxhunting before she and her husband purchased land to build a Hanoverian breeding program. Her first dressage horse was one of her own broodmares, Demetria. She currently has earned both USDF Bronze and Silver medals and is working on her USDF Gold Medal with her homebred Rockette. “I am very proud of PVDA for wanting to
support a show like this,” she said. “Everyone worked really hard to put it all together.” As Ride for Life’s Rider Donation Coordinator, Bair led by example and has raised more than $100,000 with the help of personal friends and family. In these early shows, only riders were eligible
to raise funds, so the Ride for Life organiz- ers needed to grow entries to grow donations. “We knew that if we wanted to go bigger, we needed to move the show to earlier in the year so the riders could use the show to qualify for fall champs,” Artimovich said. PVDA reached out to the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro and secured a June weekend to create a two-day USEF-licensed show. “Tis is when things really took off,” Del Grosso stated.
continued... THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | AUGUST 2023 | 25
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