What’s Exciting in 2022
With year end accounting work almost complete, it is time to discuss an exciting topic- plans for 2022! Popular events from 2021 will return to the calendar, as well as a new fundraising opportunity.
Returning in 2022
In May, we will hold the third annual Aftercare Auction. Previously it was run under the Wasabi Ventures Stable umbrella, but this year it will be organized by The Horse Fund. For this auction, club members offer items they own, with the condition that at least fifty percent of the final bid has to be donated to aftercare. Historically, ninety-five percent of the members selling items donated the full amount. In the first two years, there has been an interesting assortment of items from books to Derby glasses to ticket stubs and more.
In October, we will schedule the second annual WVS Signature Item Auction. This auction will include an assortment of items that are earned, used, or associated with our horses, trainers, and owners. In the 2021 auction, there were horseshoes worn by Magical Mousse, a keychain made out of Wow Factor’s nameplate, trophies from wins at Monmouth Park, and more. These items are collected from our trainers, as well as TK and Michele Kuegler. The full winning bid is donated to The Horse Fund.
In November, we will celebrate Giving Tuesday. Last year we promoted Giving Tuesday via the Wasabi Ventures Stables Slack channel. During the event, two different club members offered to match donations, which increased the club’s donations by $1,000. Although there were no incentives tied to the donations, the WVS club members gave generously and selflessly.
New in 2022
This March we will hold our first Shamrock Kid Day. As regular readers know, WVS lost Shamrock Kid to a fatal injury during morning training on St. Patrick’s Day in 2021. His passing spurred our club members to donate more generously to aftercare, which in turn inspired Michele Pesula Kuegler to seek non-profit status for The Horse Fund. To help fund our aftercare efforts, we will hold a single day of fundraising on March 17th. Any person who donates $50 or more will receive a collectible Shamrock Kid Day shotglass. We are hopeful that this event is well received.
A Possible Event
Although we currently have the WVS Signature Item Auction scheduled as an annual event to be held in the fall, we are considering holding other mini auctions throughout the year. Our assistant trainer, Grace Smith, has begun collecting items, such as horseshoes. Rather than waiting nine months for the auction, we may hold one-day auctions with a smaller number of items every two to three months. Once we have this plan better formulated, we will be sure to share an update.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2022! We are hopeful that these events help us to raise the funds necessary to secure safe retirements for former WVS horses that are no longer in our barns.