Help special para-athlete go to World's

Can you imagine going to the Olympics to compete on a team with people you have never played with before? That is like what my friend Mary Gray has done; she has competed in the Para-equestrian World Driving Championships with an equine partner that she only met a couple of days before the competition. While you would think that would be an impossible situation, through her skill and experience Mary has managed to be incredibly successful, winning an individual gold and helping the US to a team silver. My name is Sally, and I'm hoping that you will help raise money for an amazingly generous person who has spent her life helping others. Please help Mary have a good last competition by helping fund her to train with her competition horse for 2 weeks before the event. Mary says "I feel truly honored to have represented the US successfully in past World Championships, and would like one last chance to compete before retiring from active competition. Carriage driving has been my passion since I first competed in 1975. Sharing that passion with young, old, abled, and disabled has been my driving force ever since. I feel so lucky to have been able to combine my love of horses and the sport with my love of teaching to enable me to share this passion with so many over the years. Asking for help isn't easy for any of us, but no one gets to a World Championship by themselves, it takes a community of people to make it happen. From the support crew that goes with me, to the people at home who feed the cats, it truly does take a village and every person plays a part. We anticipate the cost to train and compete to be close to $12,000; contributions in any amount are most appreciated and gratefully received!" What I need to add here is why Mary is so special and why I hope you will help her. Yes, she is a great horseperson, but she is also an amazingly generous person who has spent her life helping others. She had a career in Special Education, working with children with all kinds of learning disabilities. But that wasn't enough; she also adopted two children and raised them as a single Mom. In more recent years, she has helped save a historic Maine farm and turn it into an educational and recreational resource for a whole community, and most recently she has founded a charitable organization to help other disabled people pursue the sport of carriage driving. All the while she has taught countless people about carriage driving and horses. Oh, and when a friend did missionary work at an orphanage in Africa, Mary made a quilt for each child and embroidered their name on it, probably the most precious thing that child had ever been given. This barely scratches the surface of who she is, and I hope you will give some of that love back to her.