Gladstone, NJ – February 23, 2015 – There are only 36 days left for the Jonathan Wentz Memorial Challenge for High Performance Para Dressage.

The Jonathan Wentz Memorial Challenge is an exciting fundraising initiative to honor the hard work, dedication, and dreams of Team USA’s Para Equestrian athlete, Jonathan Wentz.

Increasing the amount of funding for this country’s most inspiring athletes is critical to their success in international competition. This was the impetus for the Challenge led by Margaret H. Duprey and The Barnfield Foundation. Duprey and The Barnfield Foundation have each pledged up to $200,000, matching dollar for dollar, gift commitments of $4,000 and above, payable over a four-year period made by April 1, 2015. Just as an example, a gift of $5,000 will provide $15,000 in funding with the match. The Challenge has raised $729,000 in cash and pledges, but we need your support to hit the goal of $800,000.

“The opportunity that we have right now, to literally triple the amount of funding, is something that will have a tremendous impact for our Para Dressage athletes,” said Bonnie B. Jenkins, USET Foundation Executive Director.

The purpose of this Challenge is to establish a base of funding for each of the next four years, which will provide for a High Performance program that will include training sessions, coaching and international competition opportunities leading up to and including the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Jonathan was born with cerebral palsy and the cause of his death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Jonathan passed away less than a month after fulfilling a lifelong dream to represent the United States of America at the 2012 Paralympics in London. He was 21. He was the highest placed American, finishing in 4th place.

Please join us and keep dreams alive by making on contribution to the Challenge, and you’ll be helping aspiring athletes turn their dreams into a reality.

Click here to make a pledge or call Sara Ike, Major Gifts Officer at 908-234-1251.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation (www.uset.org) is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.

For more information on the USET Foundation, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.