“Celebrate the 318”

Anight full of delicious samplings made with local farms’ fresh ingredients and crafted by local chefs sounds pretty great, right? Add in local art and live music by both Seth Bradford and The Good News – and a live and silent auction – and you’ve got the makings of this year’s Wine, Dine & Equine: “Celebrate the 318” event that benefits The Arc Caddo-Bossier’s GREAT program.

Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23, at The Lot downtown in Shreveport, Celebrate will allow the Shreveport-Bossier City community to support one of the country’s most unique programs available to individuals with disabilities: The Arc Caddo-Bossier’s GREAT program.

The nonprofit’s Great Results Equine Assisted Therapies (GREAT) program provides therapeutic horseback riding lessons for adults and children with disabilities of all kinds. The program is designed to have physical, psychological and social benefits as participants – age 18 months to adult – improve their strength, endurance and coordination. In addition to private sessions, GREAT works with students from Caddo and DeSoto Parish schools and clients of Holy Angels.

As a biennial event, Wine, Dine & Equine makes the GREAT program possible. All proceeds go directly to the organization.

“We want to continue making GREAT’s high-quality programming affordable and accessible to families in our community,” said The Arc Caddo-Bossier’s Executive Director Kristen Powers. “We offer unlimited opportunities to individuals with disabilities, and therapeutic horsemanship is just one way we’re able to do that. It’s a special program that touches the lives of so many people.”

Caroline Hendrix, GREAT’s director, is looking forward to a new approach to this year’s fundraiser.

“We’ve branched out a bit this year,” Hendrix said. “We are bringing in different pieces of our community that make us unique.”

Hence the name Celebrate the 318. Hendrix has been with The Arc Caddo- Bossier since the program’s inception in 2000 and is excited to showcase the community’s culinary and artistic talent at this year’s fundraiser.

A food court sponsored by Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts will feature a multi-station food sampling of dishes made by local chefs who’ve paired with local farms: Chef Hardette Harris of Us Up North with Mahaffey Farms; Chef Mike Lewis of Biscotti’s with Farmers Seafood; Chef Blake Jackson with Sample Farms and Chef Eleazar Mondragon of Ki’ Mexico with Wagyu Farms.

While most of the event will take place outside under The Lot’s canopy, a silent auction will take place inside the venue. Live music for attendees enjoying locally sourced dishes and libations outside will begin at 6 p.m. with Seth Bradford, followed by The Good News at 7:30 p.m. The event will also feature a live auction outside.

Items for this year’s live and silent auctions include a Vahan bracelet donated by McCary’s Jewelers; a deer stand donated by Antler Shed Deer Blinds; an outdoor patio furniture set donated by Corner Collection On Line; a spa package donated by Shreveport Eye Specialists and 8445 Med Spa; a Red River Range membership and accompanying gun; a week’s stay at a Perdido Key condo and much more. The silent auctions will also include artwork created by Ellen Blanchard, Lauren Ross Simmons, Ashley Palmer, Katie Lewis and Ellie Pendley.

“What’s beautiful about this event is it’s going to be outdoors; it’s going to be COVIDconscious,” Powers added. “We are taking all of the protocols and precautions necessary to ensure we have a first class event in Shreveport that will uniquely support our program.”

A preview party for this year’s Wine, Dine & Equine event will be held from 6 – 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, at Ki’ Mexico (3839 Gilbert Drive in Shreveport). Seth Bradford will perform live, and a ticket for the main event will be drawn.

Tickets for Wine, Dine & Equine: Celebrate the 318 are $75 and can be purchased by calling (318) 221-8392 or visiting thearccaddobossier. org/great-events. Sponsorships starting at $300 are available; call (318) 221-8392 to learn more.

The Arc Caddo-Bossier seeks volunteers and donations throughout the year for its many programs. To get involved with The Arc Caddo-Bossier’s programming, including GREAT, visit thearccaddobossier.org and click “Get Involved.”