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NEWSLETTER #10, February 5, 2009 |
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DEAR FRIENDS:
We are busy this winter setting things in motion for spring and beyond!
We are working on setting dates for programs with the McGee Center, Social Services and HUHFY.
We're also in the beginning stages of seeing how we can partner with Wraparound in Nevada and other organizations.
Our volunteer orientation process is undergoing some re-vamping and will include a regular training schedule and more clarity on how to get involved and stay involved and informed.
The Center for Program Evaluation up at UNR knocked our socks off when we met with them in January with what they could help us with in terms of evaluating our programs.
We're getting excited about what 2009 has to offer and we hope you'll be there with us every step of the way!
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RESERVE YOUR SPOT: VOLUNTEER TRAINING - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009
Spots for the training are limited and we'll fill them on a first come, first serve basis - so RSVP now if you want to attend! Email volunteers@horsesforthespirit.org or call 224-5999 and leave a message.
This training, although still being formulated, will include doing Human Conga Horse demos of the 7 Games. In January we ran out of time to cover that as we intended, so we'd like to give volunteers a chance to learn more about the 7 Games before our programs start in March.
Time: TBA
Location: HFTS Classroom
January 10th Volunteer Training Wrap Up
On January 10th our classroom was packed with new and veteran volunteers who wanted to learn more about how to provide our clients with the experience they need and deserve. Robbie Maus, co-founder and program director, and Juanita Chapman, board member, volunteer and licensed therapist, put together a training to cover some basic skills needed to work with the kids successfully.
Juanita covered some strategies for working with the kids -- attendees had many great questions and shared ideas about how to problem-solve utilizing the tools Juanita shared with the group. Juanita's session of the training was so engaging that we actually ran out of time for Robbie to conduct her portion of the training the way she planned! We're just planning to use that as good feedback for the amount of time we'll need in the future for trainings. (Look for a video clip of Juanita's training on the new interactive volunteer website that is under construction... read more about that below.)
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION: NEW INTERACTIVE VOLUNTEER WEBSITE
We are in the process of building an interactive website for volunteers. This site will be exclusively for invited members. Our goal is to develop a site for and about our volunteers -- there will be a discussion forum for asking questions and sharing answers, a calendar of events, video clips and pictures and a profile of members of the site. Our hope is that this will offer an empowering way for our volunteers to stay connected.
We're setting our sights on a March 1st date to go live with the site. |
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COMMITTEES COMING SOON!
As our organization puts the finishing touches on the strategic plan for 2009, we're setting in motion the development of various committees to ensure we meet our goals for the year.
We hope all of you will consider getting involved in a committee to compliment your efforts as volunteers in our programs. Working directly with the kids and horses is an important part of what we do, however, without supporting the bigger picture of all that goes into making our programs happen, our programs won't be as successful!
The committees will likely include fundraising, marketing, volunteer development, facilities maintenance and improvement and more. We're looking forward to all that we can accomplish with the help of our dedicated volunteers!
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PROGRAMS IN 2009
March and Beyond - our calendar is filling up!
McGee Center Program
Wednesday, March 18th through Wednesday May 20th
9 am to 12 pm
Contact Jan Koval at volunteers@horsesforthespirit.org if you are interested in volunteering for this program. (Volunteer positions are limited; if you are able to bring your horse to the program, please let Jan know.)
Social Services (schedule subject to change)
Saturday March 21st through Saturday, May 9th
HUHFY (schedule subject to change)
Saturday, May 30th through Saturday, July 18th
McGee Center Program (schedule subject to change)
Wednesday, September 23 through Wednesday, November 25th
Stay tuned for further details. |
EQUINE ASSISTED GROWTH & LEARNING LEVEL 1 TRAINING
APRIL 15-17, 2009 - PLACERVILLE, CA
Are you interested in pursuing certification the field of Equine Assisted learning models?
Deb Conrad plans to attend this training and is looking for at least one other individual who wants to attend. That rate for a group (2 or more) is a bit less than the rate for an individual.
For more information about the training, visit www.eagala.org and click on the "Events" tab. |
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST
Sunday, February 8th - Tack Sale benefiting 4H, Reno Livestock Events Center. Starts at 8am
Wednesday-Friday, April 15-17 - EAGALA Level 1 Training, Placerville, CA
Friday-Sunday, May 15-17 - Parelli Celebration, Reno Livestock Events Center
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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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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 Chapman, MA, MFT, LADC
Deb Conrad |
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