Evening of Hope daffodils
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Lisa A. Gatti to be Honored with 2026 Spes Unica Award

Lisa Gatti, Riding Diva at Pal-O-Mine

The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University will present the St. Louise de Marillac Spes Unica Award to Lisa A. Gatti, founder of Pal-O-Mine, at the annual “Evening of Hope” on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The event will take place at Terrace on the Park in Flushing, Queens, from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. Ms. Gatti will deliver the keynote address.

Lisa A. Gatti has had a lifelong love affair with horses — a passion that inspired her to launch Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, a nonprofit that provides a comprehensive therapeutic equine program using horses to facilitate growth, learning, and healing for children and adults with disabilities, veterans, people on the autism spectrum, individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, cancer survivors, and others. 

The organization has grown enormously since its founding in 1995, with 25 horses, a vocational program, and much more at its 13-acre farm in Islandia, N.Y.

Gatti, who began her career as a special education teacher, helps local government identify the most crucial issues facing the special needs population as a member of the Town of Islip Disability Advisory Committee, and she chairs the Board of Directors of global equine-assisted psychotherapy organization EAGALA. 

Gatti served on the board of Autism Communities, lending her expertise on vocational opportunities for those on the spectrum. These experiences helped Gatti shape Pal-O-Mine into one of the nation’s most-trusted therapeutic equine organizations. She has an 18-year-old daughter, the pride and joy of her life.

“Evening of Hope” begins at 5:30 pm. Participation will support the charitable works of the Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University.

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    Evening of Hope

    The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University Annual Evening of Hope honors an individual who sustains a commitment to providing opportunities for women and children in need.

    The Spes Unica Award was established in 2014 to recognize a person who exemplifies the spirit of St. Louise de Marillac by radically improving the lives of others through service. St. Louise de Marillac was the spiritual moderator of St. Vincent dePaul’s lay women’s society, the Ladies of Charity. In 1633 she co-founded the religious order the Daughters of Charity with St. Vincent to address more completely the grinding poverty of 17th-century France. The newly formed Daughters of Charity set up soup kitchens, organized community hospitals, established schools and homes for orphaned children, offered job training, taught the young to read and write, and improved prison conditions. St. Louise died in 1660 and inscribed on the cross at her grave is the Latin phrase ”spes unica,” which means “one hope” or “only hope.” These words reflect St. Louise’s belief that service to humanity through systematic planning, sustainable programming and extensive collaboration is the “one hope” to effectively alleviate the burdens of people living in poverty. Four centuries later, that vision is reflected today.

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