Issue # 18 - December 23, 2009
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Dudley really tells me by his emotions that he is confused so that tells me I have to do it different or better."
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Happy Holidays!
Dear Friends,
Horses for the Spirit is already looking to 2010 as we say goodbye to 2009. We had a great year, although not without its challenges. (See below for the story of one such challenge.)
This year we were able to conduct three programs (McGee Center, Social Services, Children's Cabinet), host a demonstration and hold our first annual "Wine & Spirits" fundraiser. We had booths at Art Paws in the Park, the Wild Horse & Burro Expo and some of our girls from the McGee Center program received free entry with great seats for the Parelli Celebration so they could see natural horsemanship from some top people. We also received a grant from the Reno Rodeo Foundation in 2009.
Reports in the news say that non-profits have had a tough time due to the economy. We are extremely grateful for all the support we received this year -- in terms of financial support and hours spent volunteering for us. Regardless of the economy and financial constraints, Horses for the Spirit will continue to serve as many kids from Washoe County as we are able. Thanks to all of you who contributed in any way, shape or form!
From the Horses for the Spirit "family" to you and yours, we wish you the best this holiday season! We look forward to serving the community in 2010 and hope you'll join us along the way whether you volunteer, donate or just keep up with us through our newsletters.
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BROKEN PIPES, FLOOD AT THE CLASSROOM On Friday, December 11th at about 8 a.m. Deb Conrad received a phone call from one of the tenants living at the property where our classroom is located. Pipes had broken at some point the night before and our classroom was flooded.
The tenants had already done a lot for us -- trying to keep our notebooks and brochures and other items from being destroyed by water damage. They put buckets all over the place to catch water that was still dripping from the ceiling and they turned on heaters to try to get the place drying out.
The broken pipes were repaired and after assessing the damage, we think it will be minimal. At this point it appears the carpets and couches will dry out and we did not have to throw much out. We will re-assess the condition of the carpet and the couches after the room has dried out pretty well. Our little classroom isn't fancy yet it serves us well. We hope we can get by without having to replace much after all is said and done so we can put our funds toward what matters most to us: the kids!
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PROGRAM WITH CHILDREN'S CABINET
The program with Children's Cabinet was certainly challenged by the weather and short days this winter. Regardless, Horses for the Spirit and the kids were able to make it through quite a few sessions and have a great time learning some life lessons with the horses.
"The kids are always wonderful," says Robbie Maus. "There was one young man who was
terrified but fascinated. His curiosity overcame his fear, and
although still a bit nervous, he really ended up enjoying the program
and overcoming his fear." These are the kinds of transformations of which we love to be a part.
We are looking forward to continuing the relationship with Children's Cabinet in the Spring - hopefully Mother Nature will be a bit more cooperative at that time! The graduation party for the Children's Cabinet kids has been postponed until after the beginning of the year.
Winter programs are often difficult for us because we do not have a covered arena in which to conduct our programs. It is our desire to eventually have a place to call home for our programs where we have a covered arena and are able to keep our horses on-site. |
 2010...
So all you volunteers out there who have been chomping at the bit to get back to "work", we hope to offer plenty of opportunities this spring. Hopefully we'll also have a couple programs in the Fall as well in 2010.
A Spring Clean-Up at the facility will be necessary before we start our programs, so keep an eye out for the invitation to join us for some good old-fashioned, pull-up-your-sleeves-and-get-dirty kind of work!
This year we intend to get a volunteer training schedule in place by the end of February, with a couple options throughout the year for those wishing to complete the mandatory training. We've often found ourselves doing these trainings more last minute than we'd like and we think it will be relief to everyone to have the dates on the calendar well ahead of time!
We will have booths again at Art Paws in the Park and the Wild Horse & Burro Expo and may consider other events as well. We are likely to have an entry in the Reno Rodeo Parade again -- it was a lot of fun in 2009 and we love to support the Rodeo!
We'll be doing more demos and getting our Wine & Spirits fundraiser on the calendar as well.
We are looking forward to 2010 and hope you'll be with us along the way! |
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VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY Last year we had our Volunteer/Supporter Appreciation Party in December. We have decided to move the party to February and we'll provide more details as soon as we can.
We look forward to this party and the chance to just hang out and enjoy our volunteers and friends. It is a chance for us to say Thank You and not put you to work at the same time!
We hope to see you there -- many of us will not have seen each other since the summer, so it will be a great opportunity to catch up.
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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
Pam Olivieri
Juanita Chapman, MA, MFT, LADC
Deb Conrad |
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We are very grateful to the following individuals and businesses for their contributions to Horses for the Spirit and our Wine & Spirits event in November.
Art Source
Whispering Vine Wine Co.
Camelot Party Rentals
Reno News & Review
This is Reno
Digiprint Corporation
Wild Horses of Nevada Photography
Lynda Yuroff
Tranquility Salon & Spa
Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch
Stonehouse Ranch
Gayle Ferruccio-Morris, RN, LMT
Chelsea Doolittle Massage
Sierra Sage Golf Course
Sierra Valley Grange
Jan Koval & Paul Franklin
Erin De Los Santos
Barbara Chastain
IM=X Pilates
THANK YOU!
We couldn't do what we do without support from foundations and individuals in our community. We are grateful for the support and know that the kids who have been able to participate in our programs because of your financial support are very thankful too!
MARSHALL MATLEY FOUNDATION
SCOTT GREENE, DVM | |
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