The Courage Cup

The Courage Cup is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established to help at-risk urban youth by supporting programs in the mid-Atlantic region which give disadvantaged children individualized attention and a positive alternative activity to keep them in school and off the streets. Andrea Rodgers serves as President and Chairman .
The Greg Ball Fundraising Controversy
As the Washington Post would report in 2007, a significant portion of New York State Assemblyman Greg Ball's funds for his 2006 assembly race were raised through The Courage Cup in 2005, when Mr. Ball was running the event. Gregory R. Ball had been stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., when he hosted the first Courage Cup polo match, raising money for charities including nearly $8,000 for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based Work to Ride program.
The event was created to bring together Washington professionals and the polo community together for a good cause, and a good time, and through the work of Andrea Rodgers and her host committee grew to become one of the largest polo events on the East Coast. Ball founded the charity in 2004, prior to his run for office. The Courage Cup was incorporated and received 501(c)(3) status. The Courage Cup's Board resisted Assemblyman Ball's attempt to retake a leadership role in 2007, and Ball countered that he was The Courage Cup's rightful owner and that the two women stole his intellectual property. The dispute was settled out of court with Ms. Rodgers retaining control of the nonprofit.
A Washington Post article from June 2007 reported that one of the event directors offered tickets at different price level with proceeds going to a Political Action Committee named Citizens United for Ethical Growth (CUEG), which Ball operated as President in Fall of 2004. Under a new President, CUEG transferred $18,000 into Assemblyman Ball's campaign fund in 2006, which included $610 raised from the 2004 Courage Cup event. The Assemblyman later provided refunds to two of the seven contributors who gave money to CUEG through the courage cup.

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