Chukkers of Hope to hold charity match for St. Jude’s and Great Oak Equine

Chukkers of Hope will hold a charity polo match on Oct. 10 with an awards ceremony, dinner and a silent auction to raise money for two charities.

For those unacquainted, a chukker is a period in a game of polo.

“People refer to the game, polo, as chukkers kind of conversationally,” said Mandeep Singh, the organizer of the event.

Singh founded the event six years ago to raise money for charity. This year, the funds will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs.

Great Oak Equine Assisted Programs provides therapeutic programs with horses to help the physical, emotional and psychological health of children and adults with special needs.

“I also like to include a local charity as well because sometimes they can be overlooked,” Singh said. “So, this year we chose Great Oak Equine because they do great work over there as well.”

The event will be dedicated to the memory of two recently passed horse enthusiasts, Henry Cato and Anthony Meunier.

The event will be hosted on Meunier’s farm.

Doors open at 4 p.m., and the polo match will start at 5 p.m. The match will be followed by an award ceremony, dinner and music provided by DJ Kenny Ray.

A silent auction will take place throughout the evening and will feature a variety of items from home décor to equestrian equipment. Also included are vacation packages to destinations such as Lake Toxaway in North Carolina, Lake Oconee in Georgia, and Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Other experience packages include tickets to sporting events in Atlanta, such as tickets to Atlanta Hawks games.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite.com.

The event will be a white-dress theme party, meaning attendees will be required to dress in shades of white; however, the clothing does not need to be strictly formal.

“You can play with it a little bit,” Singh said. “That’s just kind of a general theme. Everyone likes a theme to a party, and it gives them some direction as well. “

St. Jude’s holds a special place in Singh’s heart. For the past seven or eight years, he has either hosted an event or been involved with events that fundraise for St. Jude’s in the Aiken and Atlanta area.

“I’ve always been kind of attracted to helping children in need,” Singh said. “I come from a medical family background, so I’ve always been around medical care and working with non-profit endeavors. So, St. Jude’s was an organization I gravitated towards after attending an event once in California and getting to meet the leaders of the organization in Memphis.”

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