Press Release July 23, 2007

Honorees

Elant Names 2007 Polo Picnic Honorees

GOSHEN, N.Y. – The not-for-profit Elant senior health and housing network will honor the Wallace family of Goshen and Newburgh architect Joseph J. Minuta at the 6th Annual Polo Picnic to benefit the Elant Foundation.  

Elant will honor the Wallaces and Minuta at the September 9, 2007 charity event at the Blue Sky Polo Club for their humanitarian spirits and notable contributions to their communities.  

The Wallace family, represented at this year’s event by Richard V-D. and Kit Wallace, will receive the Elant Flame of Excellence Award for their decades of inspired leadership and dedication to improving the lives of others.

Minuta, the founder and president of Minuta Architecture, will be honored with the Elant Signature Award for his commitment to enhancing health care and housing for the elderly through philanthropy, vision and communication. Minuta and his architecture firm have made significant in-kind contributions to the Renewing Elant at Newburgh campaign, an ongoing project to renovate and revitalize the nursing home campus.  

“The individuals we have chosen to honor this year have demonstrated immeasurable vision – they are leaders in the truest sense of the word,” said Elant President and CEO Donna G. McAleer. “They have made formidable contributions to their communities and have been fervent supporters of Elant’s not-for-profit mission.”  

The Wallace family has made notable service contributions throughout Orange County, particularly in the greater Goshen area. Members of the Wallace family were instrumental in founding the local American Legion Post, the Goshen Rotary Club and Arden Hill Hospital. Richard Wallace, an insurance agent, has served on the board of directors of the Elant Foundation and the Goshen Savings and Loan. He has been president of the Goshen Historic Track, president of the Goshen Rotary Club, vice President of the Goshen Chamber of Commerce and president of the Orange County Association of Independent Insurance Agents. He is also a member of numerous civic organizations.  

Kit Wallace, a retired educator and school administrator, is president of the Barnard Foundation, an organization that gives grants to independent schools with a large percentage of students requiring financial aid.  She is on the vestry of St. James Episcopal Church in Goshen, a member of Goshen Restoration Unlimited and a former member of the Elant Spring House Tour Committee. Ms. Wallace has also served on the board of the Association of Teachers in Independent Schools and on the national planning committee of the National Association of Independent Schools.  

Minuta has been in the building profession since 1989. He has worked professionally as a registered architect, construction observer, engineering technician, draftsman carpenter and mason. He is a registered architect licensed to practice in 49 states and the District of Columbia, with Alaskan registration pending. He is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board. His work has been published in several national magazines.  

Proceeds from the 6th Annual Polo Picnic will be used to support Elant projects that enhance the quality of life of older adults and critically ill people of all ages.  

Polo spectators will enjoy an elegant outdoor cocktail party, music and an afternoon luncheon served under tents. This year’s event will also feature a contest for most original hat.  

Presenting sponsors for the event are: Med-World Pharmacy an OmniCare Company, O’Connor, Davies, Munns & Dobbins, LLP and Ottaway Newspapers/Times Herald-Record  

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please call Jennifer Riccardi at the Elant Foundation (845) 291-3836.

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Elant, Inc. was founded in 1985 as a community-based not-for-profit organization. Through innovative programming and a steadfast commitment to its mission, Elant serves more than 3,000 people on any given day through its network of facilities, home care agencies and community services. Elant emphasizes personalized service and compassionate respect for the whole person.