178 SIDELINES MARCH 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
SVS Horse Sales “Recycles” Donkeys for Charity
By Lauren R. Giannini
When the Phoenix Dream Center, a 501c3 non-profit in Phoenix, Arizona, received a phone call from Janet Hischer of SVS Horse
Sales about donating to their program for fostered youth who are about to age out of the system, Dr. Sherry Jones felt that prayers
had been answered.
Janet, professional hunter/jumper rider and chief trainer at Twisted Tree Farm in nearby Scottsdale, wanted their SVS Horse Sales
donation to stay local. It doesn’t get much closer or better than the Phoenix Dream Center’s Living Youth Program.
“My farm’s motto is ‘You have to give to get’ – the good Lord has given me horses and so much. I felt I needed not to be selfish
with the farm and the auction, and I wanted to do something for the community,” said Janet. “Vanessa Rice who rides here has an
event company, Haul n Ass Productions, and takes trained Beer Burros to parties and catered affairs. I told her that I wanted to get
a mini-donkey and auction it off at SVS for charity. That’s how we got Fiona.”
So far two donkeys have been auctioned to benefit the Phoenix Dream Center’s Living Youth Program – Princess Fiona and Lady
Lillian. Princess Fiona’s sale took place in March 2013. Between the auction and donations after the gavel fell, Fiona was responsible
for the direct donation of $15,000 to Living Youth.
“We survive on donations alone,” Sherry said. “When Princess Fiona was auctioned, those funds were used to make a nice teen
center for Living Youth out of a room that had been filled with stuff. Janet and her sister Jodi Johnson brought the entire staff from
Twisted Tree – riders, trainers, the girls at their riding camp – and they spent days clearing out that room and cleaning it for the
renovations. I worked with Jodi to design the new room. We had it rebuilt from the floor and walls up. It has a brand new bathroom
and a full kitchen too. It looks quite marvelous. We named it the Twisted Tree Teen Center.”
When the renovations were completed – the actual construction donated and done by Jodi and her husband Tim, contractors, so
that Fiona’s funds paid for the materials – Janet and Jodi returned with their Twisted Tree Farm crew and did all the painting. But
the SVS/Twisted Tree connection doesn’t stop there. “I have loved horses my whole life, but I never had an opportunity to learn to
ride,” said Sherry. “Janet offered free lessons to me and free lessons and camp tuition for our kids. We can go out there any time
we want to. In November the kids volunteered every day of the
auction and expo.”
The first annual SVS Sport Horse Auction and Expo ran for
four days at Westworld. That’s when Lady Lillian raised $22,000
to benefit the Living Youth Program at Phoenix Dream Center.
“We haven’t taken up Janet’s generous offer for lessons yet, but
we will – the money raised by Lady Lillian will purchase a van so
we can transport our Living Youth Program kids to Twisted Tree
Farm and to other places,” Sherry said.
The Living Youth Program helps fostered teens who are about
to age out of the system and be on their own. Phoenix Dream
Center doesn’t believe that any young person should be tossed
out into the world and offers both a safety net and support to
help the teens with safe housing, jobs and college. The Phoenix
Dream Center’s programs are diverse and dedicated to serving
the needs of the community.
As for the donkeys: Princess Fiona ended up being donated
back and returned to her pals at the donkey farm. Lady Lillian
is spending the year with a local dressage rider/trainer and will
be auctioned again. It seems that this “recycling” of donkeys to
raise funds for a worthy cause like Phoenix Dream Center’s Living
Youth is a win-win situation and a real heehaw of a bid-pleaser.
For more information visit
or www.
svshorsesales.com or
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bring marketing and tech skills to handle the advertising and
catalog, and also research and coordinate the information about
the SVS sales horses. Handlers, riders and grooms, working
behind the scenes, also contribute greatly to each SVS auction.
Sponsors have been another key element for SVS’s success: Lisa
Seger with Markell Insurance, Valley GMC Dealers, Chaparral
Medical Center, Dr. Martin Crabo (SVS veterinarian), LawHorse.
com and Rocky Mountain Show Jumping, host of the SVS Calgary
auction in 2012.
“But without horses you have no auction,” Jodi said. “Janet
reaches out to many of her contacts in Europe and the United
States to secure quality horses. Our consigners’ support is also
key to our success. We have been blessed with the support of
several well-known riders, trainers and breeders, such as grand
prix jumper rider Kyle King, Canadian Olympian John Anderson,
and Stephen Hauter, five-time member of the German Nations
Cup team. When people ask why they should buy from SVS, my
answer is why not! We bring the elite European and American
sport horse to you.”
To learn more about Flashpoint Bloodstock: visit www.
sporthorseauctions.com. To Learn More About SVS Horse Sales:
visit
About the writer: Lauren R. Giannini is an award-winning writer, specializing in
stories about the equestrian world. Crazy about horses all her life, she craves more
stable time, especially in the saddle. Right now, she rides her beloved MacBook, a
genuine work-pony, and reads voraciously to escape the everyday world. Her plans
for 2014: do more teaching and thereby share her love of books, reading, writing and
telling stories. Big goal: to become a published author in the not-too-distant future.
Lady Lillian raised $22,000 for the Phoenix Dream Center’s
Living Youth Program through an SVS auction.
Photo by Brittany Lang
