A Message from Tim Gannon

On behalf of International Polo Club and myself, you are cordially invited to at- tend a cocktail reception to benefit Omar Cepeda on Saturday, March 23, at 6:00 pm at the Mallet Grill.

This is a request to come to the aid of Omar Cepeda, a fellow polo player and great horseman, who as most of you know lost eight horses in a tragic fire at his barn on Saturday, March 9, at Gulfstream Polo Club. I think if we could just for a moment put ourselves in his shoes to feel the immense pain of losing your entire string of horses at one time. This is not just devastating financially, but also emotionally. As a group, we need to move swiftly to help on the financial side. Since this is a horse- related tragedy, the Polo Players Support Group, Inc., is unable to use its funds.

 So, I am asking you to donate $1,000, and hoping to receive 100 donations, or more by Saturday, March 23, at which time we will hand-deliver a check to Omar in the amount of $100,000.

Our group “OMAR’S FRIENDS,” will post each person’s name after each 10 dona- tions are received. I know we will get this done and feel good that we helped a fellow player in a very tough situation. To date, OMAR’S FRIENDS include: Tim Gannon, Steve & Ginny Orthwein, Phil Heatley, Tony Coppola, Joe & Diana Dimenna, Nic Roldan, April Clark, Richard Schechter, Neil Hirsch, Beau & Dea Van Metre, Scott Swerdlin, Jim Braden, Phillip Staples, Bart Frye, Gerry Spitler, Barb Uskup, Nick Brien, Joe Meyer, Jim Whisenand, Tom Sikes, Doug Matthews, John Ingram, Harley Stimmel, Bill Farish, Don Dufresne, Scott Devon, John Walsh, Steve Felker, Barbara Wyatt, Dennis Trescott, Mike Egan, Team USPA Players, Cliff Sifton and Anony- mous,

 Any and all donations will be accepted.

Again, I thank all of you for your generosity as I know it will make a big difference helping Omar to heal from this tragic event.    I thank you in advance for your help.