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January E-Newsletter
| January 26, 2012
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Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to you all! We're excited for 2012 and all the potential that it holds for us.
 2012 PROGRAM PLANS
Our plan this year is to conduct two programs - one in the Spring and one in the Fall. This year each program will be 10 weeks long, meeting once a week for 3 hours. This increase in the overall program length and session length will allow us to reach more goals with our kids and provide more flexibility in the teaching schedule.
NEW VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
We are pleased to announce that Janet Stoddard is our new Volunteer
 | Janet Stoddard
Volunteer Coordinator |
Coordinator! After joining us as a volunteer in 2011, she saw a way to combine her personal interest in continuing to develop her skills for her "dream job" volunteer administration and making a big impact on Horses for the Spirit at the same time. She's grabbed the bull by the horns and has been working steadily behind the scenes to help us improve our volunteer training structure, intake procedures and more! Read more about Janet and her plans for Horses for the Spirit.
 ABBI PR
Thanks to the help of Bob Conrad from Conrad Communications, Horses for the Spirit got hooked up with Connie Aguilar and Abbi PR for some pro bono PR and Social Media guidance. Connie's enthusiasm and knowledge are going to be great assets to us. She'll help us get a Facebook page up and running as well as consulting with us on PR opportunities and fundraising ideas. We are so grateful to Connie and Abbi PR for giving of themselves to help us!
THANK YOU!
Thank you to every single one of you who made 2011 a great year! Read below for a wrap of 2011 and other Horses for the Spirit news.
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2011 PROGRAMS IN REVIEW
In 2011 we conducted two programs with No Child Left Behind Behavioral Healthcare Services NCLB), an organization dedicated to helping "hard to place" children learn the social skills they need to be adopted and successfully remain in the adoptive home. Spring 2011, Natural Horsemanship Program, 8-weeks, Once a Week for 2.5 Hours NCLB provided us with a range of social and life skills in which the kids needed improvement: anger management, communication, empathy,  | | Bella greets her partner in the pasture |
relationship development, appropriate social interaction, self-esteem, patience and more. As the kids progressed through the program, building on each previous session's skills, they learned about working through frustration and anger when things don't work as planned with their horse partner, communicating clearly, problem-solving, leadership and more - all in relation to the horse. Read the whole story. Spring 2011, Equine Assisted Activities-Based Program, 6 Weeks, Once a Week for 2 Hours
This program was geared toward NCLB's younger clientele. The age range was 5 to 10 years old. Because of the ages and developmental level of the children, this program was based on having the children participate in problem-solving activities with the horses in which they were allowed to explore solutions on their own to encourage teamwork, flexibility, sharing and more.
NCLB indicated the kids in this program needed improvement in communication, basic social skills, sharing and teamwork. Read the whole story. |
VOLUNTEER NEEDS
Horses for the Spirit has many needs outside of working in the programs and right now we are looking for dedicated individuals to tackle the following (open to new and existing volunteers):
Web site maintenance (Averages less than 4 hours a month)
- Good grammar, spelling and written skills necessary
- Confident with taking information from the newsletter and other approved sources to create content for the web
- Word Press or other web experience helpful
- Graphic design experience a plus
Grant Writing (Averages about 6-8 hours per report)
- Good grammar, spelling and written skills necessary
- Ability to create a compelling story necessary
- Research skills helpful
- Attention to detail necessary
- Ability to find grant sources or learn how to find them very helpful
- Willingness to learn needed
- Grant writing experience a huge plus
Interim and Final Report Writing (Averages about 6-8 hours per report)
- Good grammar, spelling and written skills necessary
- Ability to create a compelling story necessary
- Research skills helpful
- Attention to detail necessary
- Ability to meet deadlines necessary
- Ability to read grant guidelines and understand how to create appropriate content for the report
Please contact Janet Stoddard, Volunteer Coordinator, if you are interested in helping with any of these crucial needs! |
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About Us
Horses for the Spirit offers Equine Assisted Learning programs to youth ages 12-19 in Washoe County. Our EAL programs utilize horses as part of the teaching team and offer experiential and problem-based learning opportunities emphasizing positive life and social skills. Our client list includes Social Services, McGee Center, Kids Kottage and No Child Left Behind Behavioral Healthcare Services.
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, Board President, Program Director, Equine Manager
Erin De Los Santos, Board Secretary
Pam Olivieri, Board Member
Deb Conrad, Board Treasurer
Janet Stoddard, Volunteer Coordinator
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