A pink themed event was held all day Sunday, June 29th, to celebrate Austen Morris Associates’ 15th Anniversary and the first annual Charity Polo Club Day raising over 10,000 RMB. Over 150 guests, including more than 50 associates and staff, joined Founding Senior Partner Greg Morris and Managing Senior Partner James Colclough. The event supported Shanghai Breast Cancer Network, a group founded and run by Susan Vassallo, wife of Austen Morris Associates Partner Alan Vassallo. Guests dressed in pink for the occasion and supported Senior Partner James Colclough to celebrate a wonderful day with a purpose. The firm dedicated its first Charity Day to supporting the Shanghai Breast Cancer Network, wearing matching pink awareness ribbon pins as their ticket to the event. ASC provided wine and the Red Beat Bar offered cocktails and their famous house band, while the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club provided a beautiful and entertaining venue with activities all day.
Welcome speeches given by Club Founder Steve Wyatt and Austen Morris Managing Partner James Colclough were followed by a delicious buffet, appetizers in the VIP room and BBQ on the lovely terrace. Families came out to enjoy children’s games including swimming, water balloons, and field games with pony riding for children and horse riding for adults. Guests also enjoyed complimentary massages by our favourite spa, Dragonfly, while waiting for the always popular carriage ride session. The polo coach let guests try out some polo while Nine Dragons’ professional players staged a performance, with formation riding and show jumping. During the afternoon heat guests stayed cool while enjoying a dessert and sparkling wine buffet provided by ASC wines and St. Michelle Cuvée Brut under a beautiful white tent shading everyone from the sun.
Shanghai Breast Cancer Network President Susan Vassallo and volunteers sold raffle tickets throughout the day as a fundraiser for the organization. Raffle prizes included: Yangjiu.com’s bottle of Rochas Cognac and a 300RMB voucher; five manicures from FIORI Salon; six months of storage from Love Box Self Storage; five Enjoy China/Shanghai “2009 Enjoy Memberships;” bottles of La Naudine Rouge, La Naudine Blanc, and twenty discount vouchers from Magnum Wines; Heaven Can Wait and Voyage of Peace Massage Packages in the Love Nest from Dragonfly; pink accessories from CPH Copenhagen Boutique; a table for six with a free bottle of red wine at Brown Sugar; cupcakes from Sweet Ever After; and finally, two nights in a Crown Plaza Serviced Apartment in Suzhou with breakfast from Join In Tec. The raffle was a huge success thanks to all of the great sponsors and guests who bought tickets.
The day ended with a Pink Balloon Release and dancing to the band, marking the ending of a fabulous day. Each guest left the event with a bag of goodies for the ride back to the city, including Voss Water, water bottles donated by Austen Morris Associates to sponsor the Shanghai Breast Cancer Network, a self test shower hanger donated by Parkway Health, hotel books from Yangjiu, and the Polo Club Magazine.
