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NEWSLETTER #7, November 3, 2008

 

IN THIS ISSUE
HELP HENRY!
VOLUNTEER PLAY DAY
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
HARD WORK PAYS OFF
SUCCESS STORY
MESSAGE FROM VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
QUICK LINKS
Join Our Mailing List
DEAR FRIENDS: 
 
As the yellow and orange leaves fall from the deciduous trees and the hint of winter hangs in air, Horses for the Spirit and our clients are enjoying the remaining days of reasonably warm weather to play with and learn from our horses.
 
Although we do not currently have plans to run regular programs from December through February, the organization will be busy getting ready for Spring.
 
Read on to see what's been happening and what's to come!
 

otis

 
Hanging OutHELP HENRY!
Henry is one of our mustang teachers and he needs your help.
 
He recently experienced an injury to his eye that required a trip to the vet to see the equine ophthalmologist and follow up visits to ensure his eye was healing well. He's nearly back to normal... but our checkbook isn't.
 
We need to raise about $400 to cover the expense of this injury -- if 20 of our friends out there donate $20, we'll have it covered!
 
MAKE A DONATION NOW!  (Henry says "Thank you!") 
 
 
VOLUNTEER PLAY DAY - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16

Horses for the Spirit relies on the efforts of our volunteers. As our way of saying thanks, we are hosting a volunteer play day. Please join us for a day of good-natured tournament style competition and enjoying each others' company. Weather permitting, we may also ride out on a nearby trail afterwards.
 
Day and Time:
Sunday, November 16
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or so.
 
Location:
Avalon Friesians' Indoor Arena
Directions will be provided upon RSVP
 
RSVP by Sunday, November 9th -- please let us know if you plan to bring your own horse or if you would need to "borrow" one. Email or call Jan Koval, [email protected] or 849-0295. 
 
NEW & ONGOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
 
If you can help with any of the following, please contact Jan Koval at  [email protected] or call 849-0295.
 
URGENT!
ONE OR TWO VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH
We need one or two outgoing volunteers to work a booth for Horses for the Spirit at the Social Services adoption fair. This will be a great opportunity for us to spread the word about what we do and try to get more folks interested in participating in our programs.
 
Because we have a program running on Saturdays, our regular volunteers who would work this kind of event will not be available to do so.
 
Date and Time:
Saturday, November 8th
8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
 
Location:
City of Reno Northeast Community Center
1301 Valley Road
Please email or call as soon as possible if you are able to assist with this. Thanks!
 
NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH
Are you interested in getting involved with Horses for the Spirit as a volunteer? If so, please attend our next New Volunteer Orientation! We'll introduce ourselves and what we do and answer any questions you may have about how you can volunteer with us.
 
RSVP to Jan Koval, [email protected]
 
Date and Time:
Monday, November 10th
6:30 p.m.
 
Location:
TBA
 
WANTED: TEAM MEMBERS TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT A FUNDRAISING EVENT
WITH TERRI FARLEY, AUTHOR OF THE PHANTOM STALLION SERIES OF BOOKS
Terri Farley has graciously offered her time and talents to Horses for the Spirit to help raise funds to support our programs.
 
We need a few dedicated souls to help plan and implement this fundraiser. Team members will work with Deb Conrad to make the most of this wonderful opportunity.
 
Please let us know if you want to be a part of this team.
 
  
Weeds beforeHARD WORK PAYS OFF!
A sincere thanks goes out to all the volunteers who suffered through no weeds being pricked and poked by the nasty tumbleweed that was overtaking the facility. It was a hard two hours of labor, but it really paid off. The grounds looked nice and tidy by the time were done!
 
Profile of Dudley, Quarter HorseSUCCESS STORY
Sometimes our successes are big and sometimes they are seemingly small, but for one of the teens we're currently working with success comes from remembering to breathe! Dudley, the equine partner for this young man, is the perfect mirror. He gets tense and holds his breath too. His stride is short and choppy like his human counterpart's steps. When his two-legged partner relaxes. slows down and takes a breath, Dudley responds similarly and begins to look to his human more for guidance. This is the sort of quiet change that we feel can make a monumental difference in a person's life. We think Dudley probably agrees!
 
A MESSAGE FROM OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR 
 
The Spirit of Volunteering, Part 1 of 2 by Jan Koval
 
Why Volunteer?
 
Why would someone be interested in working with Horses for the Spirit? Because they want to:
�Make a difference in their community and in the life of an at-risk youth
�Develop new skills or use current skills
�Enhance their college experience and explore career paths
�Give back to the community by using skills developed through years of work
experience
�Have fun working with other people and horses
 
Although the efforts of one person may seem small, every act of service can have an important impact on our youth. Whatever your reason for volunteering, once you get involved, it's easy to catch the spirit of community involvement with our horses and youth.  Volunteering can expand your horizons and become a satisfying lifelong journey.
 
COURTESY LISTING FOR OUR FRIENDS AT AVALON FRIESIANS
Fred and Victoria Myer of Avalon Friesians have been long-time supporters of ours by giving us a home for our programs! They have an apartment for rent on the property we work out of and we wanted to help them by sending this listing out to all of you.
 
We'd love to have a kindred spirit to share the property with. We may also be able to make arrangements for a horse to stay in our corral provided we can work around our need to put our horses in there as well when running programs.
 
exterior of building with apartment for rentSTUDIO APARTMENT FOR RENT 
Nice & clean, newer unit with views of Peavine and set on 3 acres of an old Reno ranch. Quiet property with covered parking & only two other apartments. Available now, 1st month's rent & dep. of $400 to move in. Ref. req. Pets on approval. Call 775-378-7403 or 775-745-2918. Ready for move in.
We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter and encourage you to send it to friends, family and colleagues who might be interested in Horses for the Spirit. Please send us an email if you have any trouble viewing this newsletter or if you have questions or comments.
 
Sincerely,
 
Robbie Maus
Erin De Los Santos
RanDee Banovich
Juanita Motti, MA, MFT, LADC
Deb Conrad