Major Earl Weigelt will be Speaker at Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes Benefit Dinner Fundraiser

Wild Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Program, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the fight against veteran suicide by providing therapeutic horsemanship programs to veterans returning from deployment, is pleased to announce that Major Earl Weigelt, Army Chaplain, will be the guest speaker for their Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes Benefit Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, May 20, 2017.

The benefit dinner promises to be an exciting event, featuring keynote speaker Major Earl Weigelt, an Army Chaplain who deployed to Afghanistan 2009–2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Major Weigelt has extensive experience in helping soldiers deal with the unseen, and often overlooked, wounds of battle.

Military veterans returning home from deployment may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other psychological challenges that make it difficult to return to duty or readjust to civilian life. Wild Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Program addresses these wounds of war through their Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes therapeutic horsemanship programs offered to dozens of active-duty and veteran service members at no cost.

The Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes Benefit Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. at Easton Country Club, in the Terrace Room overlooking the club’s beautiful landscape and ponds, located at 265 Purchase Street, South Easton, MA 02375. Guests will enjoy a multi-course gourmet meal, silent auction and musical entertainment by The Bleeding Hearts. Wild Hearts' board member Sean Coleman is one of The Bleeding Hearts band members along with Bob Allard, Laurie Ellington, Bill Danylik, Kevin Counihan, and Jim Clements, and they perform danceable classic rock and Motown-era songs.

All proceeds from the Benefit Dinner directly benefit Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes therapeutic horsemanship programs. The nonprofit's fundraising goal is $20,000, which will enable them to continue to provide veterans with these life-changing therapeutic programs free of charge.

Silent auction items are needed and sponsorship opportunities are available. Sponsors include Bridgewater Savings Bank and Hingham Veterans Council. Auction items include baseball memorabilia, a framed print from the Foal Project, a PartyLite gift basket, and a hand-sewn quilt. To donate sports tickets, memorabilia or other items for the silent auction or to sponsor this event, contact Julie Lovely, Executive Director at 508-857-1737 or email jlovely@wildheartherapeutic.org.

Benefit Dinner tickets are $75 each. Consider donating a ticket for a veteran, so he or she can attend Wild Hearts Horses for Heroes Benefit Dinner free of charge. For tickets, visit http://www.wildheartstherapeutic.org/2017_benefit_dinner_tickets

Any opinions expressed by Major Weigelt are solely his own do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the United States government or any branch of its military, nor does Major Weigelt’s participation in this event constitute an endorsement thereof by any agency of the United States government or any branch of its military.

Wild Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Program is located in West Bridgewater, MA. For more information, visit www.wildheartstherapeutic.org or call 508-857-1737.