Girl helps tsunami victims

By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

After watching news reports about the devastation in South Asia caused by last month’s tsunami, one 10-year-old Oak Park girl decided she wanted to help victims. "I feel so grateful that we have a lot of stuff: TV, hot water, clothing and shoes, said Devyn Gortner, a fifth-grader at Brookside Elementary School. "Many people in the world don’t have these things because they’re poor or don’t have jobs and I think that’s terrible. We need to share."

With the help of her mom, Cindi, Gortner devised the idea of a horse-a-thon, which would combine riding with fund-raising. Hoping others would participate with her, Devyn contacted the Agoura/Woodland Hills Pony Club, to which she belongs.

Her fellow horse lovers embraced the idea, so last Sunday, about 20 youngsters rode their horses around rings for one hour at the club in Old Agoura.

Each rider obtained pledges from friends, neighbors and relatives using pledge sheets created by Gortner and her mother. The equestrians raised more than $1,000 which will go to Save the Children, an international nonprofit humanitarian relief and development organization dedicated to helping kids.

Gortner, who rode Piper, a white Arab/Percheron horse she leases with another rider, raised $500.

The Gortners chose Save the Children as the beneficiary of the horse-a-thon because they have supported the organization for a few years, sending money to help several underprivileged children, including a girl in the Phillippines, and two boys in Bangladesh.

"This event brings a little bit of bonding and unity in the club," Cindi Gortner said. "Everyone’s reaction has been very positive."

Marilyn Mordetzky, the district commissioner or leader of the pony club, brought her two daughters, Kendall, 8, and Kelsie, 5, to participate. Kendall raised about $100 by riding her horse, Rudolph.

"This is so good for the kids to know that they’re helping people in other countries," Mordetzky said.

Krystall Schott of Agoura rode Charlie, her Arabian horse. Her mother, Diane Grant Schott, serves as a trainer for the pony club and volunteered her time to oversee the riders during the horse-a-thon.

"We learned a lot about the tsunami at school," said Schott, 9, who attends Asencion Lutheran School in Thousand Oaks. "A lot of children lost their parents, grandparents and friends and I feel sorry for them. It’s great that the pony club is doing this to help them rebuild."

The pony club is a volunteer-run educational organization that teaches English riding and the care of horses and ponies to youth ages 6 to 21.

The club sits on a two-acre rural property that includes a 30-stall barn, two dressage rings, an enclosed jumping arena, cross-country course and adjacent parkland trails. Currently, there are 23 members.

"It’s a great program. The older kids help the younger kids," said club Secretary Helga Kupper, whose daughter, Stephanie, 15, participated in the horse-a-thon.

"The kids were happy to be able to incorporate their riding skills in some way to help in the tsunami relief efforts."