| Abilities Expo | |
Making new friends
Does that taste good?
We put pink vet wrap on their hooves to keep the horses from slipping on the concrete floor
Shayna with riders Mia Perez and Lauren Igler
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SIRE Quick Links
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Go here to sign up, sponsor a rider, get event information and more!
Visit our website for more information on volunteering, becoming a client or making a donation. here.
View our photos here
 Find Us On Facebook
 Follow Us On Twitter
 Visit Our Blog
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Hockley Happenings
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We have an up and coming movie star at SIRE! Hockley rider Amber House spent several weeks during August in Virginia doing a feature film called The Senior Prank. The story is about a group of popular high school students who elect a girl with Down's syndrome to be their Homecoming Queen as a senior prank. Amber plays Grace, the girl who is set up to be Homecoming Queen. You can visit the film's Facebook page here to read more about it and see pictures from the film's locations. The film is due to be released in early 2013.
Amber on location in Virginia
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Volunteer Corner
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We are looking for volunteers and clients to help with the following fairs. Please contact Sabrina Strawn at sstrawn@sire-htec.org or 281-356-7588, ext 211 if you would like to help out.
Rice Volunteer Fair
Wednesday, Sept 12th 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Rice Memorial Center
HISD Special Education Agency Fair
Tuesday, Sept 18th 10:00am to 1:00pm
Revere Middle School, Houston
A&M University Community Volunteer Fair
Wednesday, Sept 19th 10:00am to 2:00pm Prairie View
Please contact Jessica Shannon, VC Hockley for this event vc.hockley@gmail.com
Breaking Barriers Resource Fair
Saturday, Sept 29th 8:00am to 5:00pm
Cypress United Methodist Church
23rd Annual "Gathering of Friends"
Sunday, Oct 7th 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Christa V. Adair Park
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| Upcoming Events | |
INTRODUCTION TO THERAPEUTIC RIDING
Instructor Training Course
Saturday afternoons 1:00pm to 5:00pm
September 8th to October 20th
(no class on October 13th)
Registration fee $600.00
Active SIRE volunteers may inquire about
scholarship availability
The content of this course is designed for:
► Volunteers seeking more in-depth education and training.
► People preparing for PATH International
Instructor Certification.
► PATH International Certified Instructors seeking continuing education hours and increased knowledge.
► Anyone wishing to increase their knowledge and understanding of therapeutic riding and how they can participate in a riding program.
Participants will receive an Instructor Training Course Manual and 24 hours of lecture, observation and hands on practice.
Individual mentoring and practice teaching hours will be arranged for those pursuing PATH Intl instructor certification.
Riding lessons are available for an additional fee.
This course is presented by Anthony Busacca.
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| Mark Your Calendar | |
First Day Fall A Semester
Saturday, September 8th
Introduction to Therapeutic Riding
Instructor Training Course
Saturday afternoons 1:00pm to 5:00pm
September 8th to October 20th
(no class on October 13th)
20th Annual Saddle Up! For SIRE
Ride-a-thon and Family Carnival
Saturday, October 13th
NO CLASSES
Mah Jongg Tournament
Saturday, October 20th
Last Day Fall A Semester
Saturday, October 27th
Break - NO CLASSES
Monday, Oct. 29th - Saturday, Nov. 3rd
The Ups and Downs of Showmanship at Halter
Sunday, December 2nd 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Hockley site
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Mah Jongg Tournament
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Calling all Mah Jongg players! A Mah Jongg Tournament to benefit SIRE is being held on Saturday, October 20th at the Spring Chateau. The Tournament entry fee is $35.00
The National Mah Jongg card will be used. Your $35.00 entrance fee includes lunch, beverage and a donation to SIRE.
Based on 40 players: (if more than 40 players cash prizes to be increased)
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first place prize of $110.00
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second place prize of $75.00
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third place prize of $50.00
The Spring Chateau is available for events such as weddings, rehearsal dinners, baby showers, birthday parties and business meetings. Contact David Gunter for more information at 281-355-0077 or www.springchateau.com.
Please contact Bonnie Knowlton at bonnieknowlton@comcast.net or call (281) 323-9022 to be added the email list for the Tournament.
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Cirque Imagination
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Cirque Imagination is presenting Ruckus, A Cirque Spectacular on Friday, October 19th and Saturday, October 20th at the Stafford Centre for Performing Arts Theatre in Stafford. If you use the promo code "SIRE" (all caps) in the "Enter Coupon Code" screen not only will you receive a discount on your ticket but SIRE will receive the discounted portion of your ticket as a donation. You can can have an entertaining evening out while supporting SIRE! Please click here to purchase tickets.
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20th Annual Saddle Up! For SIRE Ride-a-thon and Family Carnival
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20th Annual
Saddle Up! For SIRE Ride-a-thon
and
Family Carnival
Saddle Up! for SIRE's Ride-a-thon is our only event where clients and community trail riders ride and raise money together. You can help and participate in several ways:
SIRE RIDERS
You'll have a great ride through an old-time Western town, visit our family fun carnival, enjoy barbecue, take home memories and more. Everyone who rides wins a prize. All money raised through October 2nd counts towards "Trail Boss" totals.
VOLUNTEERS
You can donate to help ensure your favorite SIRE riders can go. Help all our SIRE riders by sponsoring the Ride-a-thon and by telling all your friends about SIRE through our easy online tools. Mark the date! We'll need every leader and sidewalker available.
REGISTER
Register to trail ride! Click here to sign up online! Or go to www.sire-htec.org to get started. We'll help you with online donation tools. Tell your friends, volunteer, sponsor a rider and come to the carnival!
Our top fundraising client will be SIRE's 2012 Trail Boss and earn the coveted Trail Boss Belt Buckle. ANY client with donations will have the chance to ride at 7iL Ranch in Cat Spring, Texas.
Volunteers, please share your support and excitement for this event with your friends and family and join us in Cat Spring. All money raised through Saddle Up! helps keep our therapeutic riding lessons going all year.
Join us today! Sign up online at www.sire-htec.org or call 281-356-7588.
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Abilities Expo
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Abilities Expo
SIRE participated in the Abilities Expo which was held at Reliant the weekend of August 3rd through the 5th. We took Hockley horses Dusty and Tikki and gave a forty minute presentation on therapeutic riding both Friday and Saturday. The horses were a huge hit and we had a large audience both days. Our riders on Friday were Lauren Igler and Mia Perez. On Saturday Sebastiaen Raymaker and Zach Christian were our demonstration riders. SIRE also had a booth set up which was manned by SIRE volunteers who answered questions and gave out information about our program. A special thanks to the volunteers, clients and their families who came out to Reliant and helped with the booth and the riding demonstrations.
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Ft. Bend at Richmond State Supported Living Center
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SIRE's Ft. Bend site has moved to their new home at the Richmond State Supported Living Center. They hosted an Open House on Saturday, August 8th for clients and staff so everyone could see their wonderful new facility and meet all of the new horses. A Grand Opening is planned for later on this Fall. SIRE will have eight horses including Bubba who was originally at the Hockley site and then moved to the Sienna Stables site. Joelle Devlin and Mary Ann Gerity are busy organizing the site and getting ready for the upcoming fall semester. Renee Jamieson is now a full time instructor. The new address for the Ft. Bend/Richmond site is 2100 Preston, Richmond, TX 77469. Their new number is 281-344-4308.
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Spring Barn Bits
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On August 2nd Try and Clyde moved to their forever retirement home in Bay City. They are both living with Mitzi Wiggins and her family along with Chance, one of our former therapy horses. They also share their pasture with a 22 year old Arabian mare. We dropped them off at their 100 acre home and both of them trotted off like a couple of teenagers. Mitzi immediately fell in love with both of them and is thrilled with her new boys. We said goodbye with a few tears but they couldn't have a more perfect home.
Clyde at his new home
Try and Mitzi
The Spring site is the lucky recipient of Boy Scout Sam Hall's Eagle Scout project. He has been working with Shayna for the past six months on putting in a cement walkway in our large arena so our wheelchair riders can get to our mounting ramp. Sam also arranged to have crushed concrete replace the sand in the waiting area which was difficult for people to walk on. Cemex donated fifty five cubic feet of cement for the access ramp. As part of this project Sam and his team also sealed our picnic tables, wooden bleachers and ramp up to our office. Sam coordinated a team of twenty five people who worked over three days to complete this project. We are so excited to finally be able to use the covered mounting ramp at the large arena. Many, many thanks to Sam, his team and Cemex!
Prep Work
Finished with crushed gravel in place
Sam and his team
We held our new volunteer Orientation on Wednesday, August 15th and Training on Saturday, August 18th. We trained seventeen new volunteers including nine new leaders. We're very excited about our new group and look forward to working with all of them this semester!
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Ft. Bend/Richmond Happenings
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Avondale House is a program that provides services for individuals with Autism. Avondale House was recently honored with a $5,000 grant from The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, which is the largest Christian women's philanthropic organization in the United States. The grant will cover the costs for two Avondale students to receive therapeutic horseback riding lessons for a year through the SIRE program. Avondale has been riding at the SIRE Ft. Bend location for the past seven years.
Volunteers are needed for our classes scheduled to start Sept 8th. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Maryann at vc.fortbend@sire-htec.org for details. If you have some time during the day and are handy with power tools and a paint brush, please let us know as there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to get the tack room ready.
Contact information for Joelle is 281-344-4332, joelled@sire-htec.org and contact information for Maryann is 281-344-4308, vc.fortbend@sire-htec.org. We are still working out some of the logistics of the move, so please be patient if we do not get back to you immediately.
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| Chase Community Giving |
SIRE has been nominated for the 2012 Chase Community Giving program. Beginning September 6, 2012 and ending September 19, 2012, Chase customers with a Chase online account and Facebook users can vote for their favorite charity from the list. The 196 Eligible Nominated Charities who receive the most valid votes as determined by Chase will receive a grant. Facebook users can go here to read about the program, "like" Chase Community Giving's Facebook page and VOTE! If you aren't yet a Facebook user, now might be a good time to see what all the excitement is about . . .
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New Volunteer T-Shirts!
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We are pleased to announce that we have new Volunteer T-Shirts! They are available in three styles: Ladies V-necked, Ladies Fitted and Mens. All of the T-Shirts are wicking. We are taking pre-orders now through Monday, September 3rd for the first order of these great new shirts! All three styles are available in sizes Xsmall through 2XL. The cost is $25.00 each. Please email your order and any questions to Kathy Bigelow at vc.spring@sire-htec.org.
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Matching Company Donations
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As a benefit, many companies will match a donation that their employees make to the charity of their choice. If your company is one that does this, we would love the opportunity to send information to them or even do a presentation at your work. If your friends and colleagues at work already contribute to a "matching funds" program, they may be interested in contributing to SIRE, especially if they know you benefit from the program personally. It brings the connection closer. Please email Andi Fry, the Chair of the Friends and Family Committee, at andifry@aol.com about your employers "matching funds" program.
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