Issue # 20 - March 18, 2010
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Dear Friends,
Thank you to all the volunteers, young and young at heart, who spent part of their day February 28th helping us with the not-so-fun chores that are necessary for our continued safety and success when we run our programs.
If you aren't able to join us to volunteer in person, but want to support our upcoming programs, please consider making a financial donation.
Simply click the donate button at the left and you are only a few seconds away from making a great impact on our organization!
We'll be starting with McGee Center at the end of March and should have a start date nailed down with Social Services and Children's Cabinet soon. We're really looking forward to our programs starting up again!
Sincerely,
Deb Conrad
Interim Executive Director | |
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PROGRAM UPDATES - VOLUNTEER OR VISIT! We have a confirmed start date for a program with McGee Center for Monday, March 29th. The program runs from noon to 3 pm every Monday through May 17.
VISIT: Want to come by and observe the kids in action? Please contact Deb to schedule.
VOLUNTEER: If you have completed our volunteer training and are interested in volunteering for this program, please email Pam or call 343-2566. Space is somewhat limited, so please respond soon.
We are still trying to coordinate programs with Children's Cabinet and Social Services, although it is slow-going in the process! |
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NEWS
- Check out our Wish List slated to run in the Reno Gazette-Journal on Monday, March 22nd to see what we need!
- If you haven't visited our web site lately, we recently upgraded our site. Check it out!
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INTRODUCING...
 We'd like to introduce Magic the pony who will be joining our herd on loan from Landess Witmer of PetFolio Magazine.
According to Landess, Magic loves kids and treats, but not in that order. (I bet we'll find that Magic is on the Left Brain side of the Horsenality Chart -- this is something our kids learn about in our programs.)
She can hold her own with the big horses, but prefers to be on her own. She's also on what Landess calls the "air diet," because it seems she gains weight just by breathing! (In other words, she's an easy keeper.) Magic is 9 hands, 8 years old and can be seen here posing with Sabel and Dex, Landess' daughter and son.
We're looking forward to having a pint-size herd member as part of our teaching team.
We are also borrowing Wally from Landess. He's over 17 hands and a sweetheart of a giant horse. He's about as opposite Magic as possible... she short and sassy (really sassy -- she likes to "drive" her human around rather than being led by her human) and he's tall and one of those "I'll do anything you want as long as I can figure out what that is" kinds of horses.
THANK YOU LANDESS AND THE WHOLE WITMER FAMILY!
We want to sincerely thank Landess and her family for supporting Horses for the Spirit. She is not only allowing us to borrow two of her horses, she is also fully sponsoring them so that we have more funds to help put kids through our programs. |
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GRADUATION DAY AT "NV OF THE WEST" EVENT Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 22nd and join us for our graduation day celebration at the Reno Rodeo Foundation's NV of the West event!
Watch the kids play with their horses in celebration of all that they have accomplished and get a chance to talk with them one on one about what the program has meant to them. We felt this would be a great opportunity for the kids and for those of you in the community who would like to get a personal feel for why our programs are successful.
We'll provide more information as the date nears. In the meantime, visit the NV of the West website to find out more about this incredible event! 
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SPRING VOLUNTEER TRAINING WRAP UP We had a great turn out for our volunteer training -- 11 new, enthusiastic people willing to brave the chilly classroom and the cold morning outside in the arena to learn about how Horses for the Spirit helps kids in Washoe County... and how they can become an integral part of our organization. We're really excited about our new crew!
Bella, Dakota & Kiowa
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Volunteers Listen as Robbie Teaches about Lesson Plan One
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Henry Checking Things Out
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Venus and Landess Greeting Over the Fence.
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Sophie & Mary visit with "The Girls"
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Volunteer Kathy Peterson with her Mustang Lily
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 VOLUNTEER & SUPPORTER APPRECIATION PARTY Saturday, March 6 was our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Normally we've held this party at the end of the year, but this year having it just before we're ready to gear up for Spring programs worked out really well.
Our veteran volunteers had a chance to catch up with others  whom they hadn't seen since last fall and new volunteers getting ready for their first training sessions got a chance to meet some of the HFTS folks before attending the training. It was a nice, relaxed evening with friends, food and beverages. Many of the conversations revolved around horses and kids, of course!
Horses for the Spirit relies heavily on its dedicated volunteers and we enjoy providing an evening where everyone can simply hang out and enjoy each others' company! Once we get rolling, that gets harder to do.
Thanks to Jan Koval for hooking us up with the room for our little shindig and to everyone who attended and helped make this event a success!
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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 |
Please support those who have supported us!
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 2009.
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
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!
2010 GRANT FOR $6,000 FROM AN ANONYMOUS FOUNDATION
SCOTT GREENE, DVM | |
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