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 MCGEE CENTER PROGRAM: IMPROVED SELF-ESTEEM AND TEAMWORK
Mary Crosby, Residential Supervisor at the McGee summed up the program this way:
"Our teens being able to participate in the Horses for the Spirit Youth Program is important to the McGee Center because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the residents in our program to have exposure to this kind of program. Most of them have never had an opportunity to work with animals and in particular horses. Through working  with Horses for the Spirit it has improved the self-esteem of all the girls participating. Horses for the Spirit also improved the teamwork among the girls participating.
It seems as if the girls who enjoyed the program the most were girls who had difficulty in completing some parts of the Girl's Program and in following rules, but in working with Horses for the Spirit they were able to exhibit the best behavior they had and do a great job."
 Robbie Maus noted that on graduation day the girls were not only willing to demonstrate their new capabilities to their family members, but also had the confidence to share the information and experience with them, especially their siblings."I thought that was a fine example of leadership, patience and flexibility," commented Maus. |
 FIRST SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAM A SUCCESS
We conducted our first program with a group from Social Services this fall and it was a great success. As usual graduation day is where we volunteers watch in amazement as the kids take what they've learned and get creative and brave about trying new things.
One young man had been asking to run with his horse Dudley from day one, so on the last  day he took the lead rope off Dudley and asked him to run with him at liberty. What a sight to see! Dudley did several laps and the boy ran around the arena with the biggest smile on his face. The confidence and thrill of a successful endeavor were obvious.  Others in the group tried their hands at playing with new obstacles like a tarp held overhead and most let their horses loose at some point during the day to experience the connection between them and their equine partner with no strings attached, quite literally. What we have observed when the kids play with their horses without the lead ropes on them has encouraged us to revise our programming content to include playing at liberty earlier in the program. Profound changes occur for youth when the horse is free to leave and does... or does not.
We have plans to conduct another program with Social Services in the spring. |
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SPARKS HOMETOWNE CHRISTMAS PARADE
 Horses for the Spirit participated in the Sparks Hometowne Christmas parade on December 6th.
The theme of the parade was Christmas Carols Come Alive, so we dressed up the horses as reindeer and board member Juanita Chapman's pony Sweetpea starred as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Thanks goes out to Kathy Voorhis and Sally and Tom McBride for providing us with excellent attire for our horses and the coolest sleigh ever!
Several graduates from our programs joined us to walk with the horses in the parade. They had quite a day with a wait of two hours before the parade procession started moving at our staging area and then having to manage their horses in an exciting and unfamiliar setting.
The kids did a fantastic job and we were very proud of them for remaining calm and patient  during a pretty stressful situation. We love the fact that our kids will come back and help us with these kinds of events.
Pictured here are two of our young volunteers who also helped out during the parade.
Many thanks to everyone who made participating in the parade possible!
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PROGRAMS IN 2009
January 2009
Four-Week Program - tentatively scheduled to start January 18th
Time: Noon to 3 pm
Location: Avalon Friesians Covered Arena
Please RSVP to volunteer for this program and plan to attend the Volunteer Training on January 10th (see below) if you have not worked with the kids in one our programs previously or if you feel you need to improve your skills.
This program is for those individuals who have contacted us looking to enroll their family members or clients in one of our programs.
March and Beyond
Upcoming programs include:
- Social Services Spring Program
- Savvy Spotlight Spectacular - we have plans to implement a program that revolves around an entry into the Parelli Savvy Spotlight "competition" at the Parelli Tour Stop in Reno, Nevada in May.
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OUR BIG END OF THE YEAR SURPRISE Horses for the Spirit received a generous grant from the Marshall R. Matley Foundation in the middle of December. We are extremely grateful for the support from the foundation -- youth in our area will benefit greatly due to their support of our organization.
A hearty thank you goes out to the Board of Trustees of the foundation and the Marshall R. Matley Foundation for supporting Horses for the Spirit. |
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VOLUNTEER TRAINING - REMINDER - JANUARY 10, 2009, NOON TO 3PM
The training is from noon to about 3pm and will be held at our facility at 9500 N. Virginia - please meet in the classroom. Bring paper and a pen to take notes if you wish.
The training will include a session with board member and volunteer Juanita Chapman who is a licensed therapist and will offer tools for working with the kids. She'll answer questions like:
- How do you get and keep the attention of the kids?
- What are some basic behaviors you might observe and how do you appropriately respond?
- What do you do when you feel like you aren't successful in connecting with a particular young man or woman?
- What are the responsibilities of a volunteer working with kids?
The training will also include a session with co-founder Robbie Maus on the 7 Games. We'll use human Conga Horses to demonstrate and practice the 7 Games so all volunteers can familiarize themselves with the games and/or improve their skills. Be prepared for your Conga Horse to act like a real horse! Dress appropriately for cold weather as we may be doing this part of our training outside.
There will also be time for Q&A in both sessions.
If you haven't RSVP'd yet and would like to attend, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Jan Koval at volunteers@horsesforthespirit.org or call 849-0295 as soon as possible.
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 SHOP ONLINE AT COUNTRYSUPPLY.COM
AND HORSES FOR THE SPIRIT GETS 5%!
It's easy! Simply go to the website, shop and before you complete your order, enter our code (horsesforspirit) in the Country Care box at the top of the online order form.
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many ways. We would not be here without you.
