by Jan Spence –
On an early July morning, with a surprisingly cool breeze blowing through the open-air arena, Emily Jean Lucid and I were treated to a tour of R.O.C.K. (Ride On Center for Kids), one of our grant recipients for the 2015-2016 year. Our guide was the enthusiastic and deeply knowledgeable Nancy Krenek, founder and CEO of the organization.
We saw riding helmets neatly placed in cubbies in the prep room, halters, reins, and saddles neatly arranged in the tack room (which is constructed of cement and also serves as a storm shelter), horses contentedly chomping on hay for their breakfast, and volunteers arriving for the day’s activities. From September through June, the children arriving are the young clients who receive equine-assisted therapy. However, on this summer day, the siblings of those clients will be treated to some camp activities.
In a separate therapy room, Nancy tells us about the research that supports the work done at R.O.C.K. She also stresses the importance of safety and some of the procedures in place to be certain that the vulnerable children they serve are never put at risk. Everyone, from the multitude of volunteers to the most experienced horse handler, must undergo training in how things are done at the center. The consistency in following these procedures helps insure safety for the children, the horses, and the workers. Win-win-win.
So where, exactly, does Seeds of Strength’s grant money fit in? The $20,500 grant will be used to provide “hidden scholarships” to clients; children between the ages of 2 and 11 who have special needs and who have been referred to the facility by their physician. In other words, our money closes the gap between the tuition paid by the client’s family and what it actually costs to provide services to the client. And that gap is significant! Tuition covers only about 40% of the actual cost, while our grant covers the remaining 60%. For parents whose children have special needs, the cost of providing those services can be overwhelming, but with our help, some of those families don’t have to struggle quite so much.
Last year, 21 children from Georgetown received these hidden scholarships to allow them to receive this amazing equine therapy from September through December. Oops! What about the rest of the year? Well, in the words of Nancy, one amazing dynamo, “We just get ourselves out there and raise the donations to cover it.” They also stretch their dollars as far as possible through the many, many volunteers who come to help out in the office, who are horse walkers during therapy sessions, and who are caretakers of the horses.
But, this information is just the dollars and cents of our grant. The real value of our grant is best told by the children. Their faces as they interact with the horses and their stories of success in the advances they make are the priceless aspect of our contribution.
There are many stories of children who make great physical strides in their therapy, but one of the most impactful stories is one that seems to me to be an unlocking of the heart. A young autistic boy came to R.O.C.K. for therapy, and at the time he was not emotionally responsive or interactive with his family. No hugs. No kisses. After a time of working with his horse, he began to give hugs, then kisses to his family members. His parents report that his ability to respond and show his affection has totally transformed their entire family. How wonderful it is to be able to support something like this!!