Sarah Leathers was happy that there would be 50 runners supporting Healing Meals in the Hartford marathon on Saturday. They had a fundraising goal of $75k for the year and have already raised $66k.
Peter Vignati gave $17 for his 17 years with Edward Jones. In November he will be starting a two-year transitioning program to move toward retirement.
Robin DiNicola was happy that son Joe would be coming home from college for the weekend to celebrate his 19th birthday.
Jolly Lux was happy that Sue Budde had helped get the support of West Avon Congregational Church and Avon Congregational Church to help with GLO's water project. UCONN's engineering department is creating a biodigester to provide heating and energy for the facility in Uganda.
Yvonne Gardner was appreciated Robin DiNicola's donating chairs for Focus to use
Salin Low gave a happy dollar for pub night the preceding Wednesday and a hopeful dollar for Oklahoma to beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday (The good guys won!).
Calendar of Upcoming Events
November 7th:District Foundation Dinner at Chez Josef in Agawam, MA, from 6:00-9:00 pm. The cost is $55 per person paid by the club. The Keynote Speaker will be Emily Goldman, the DUNN Global Grant Scholar. Click here to register.The deadline for registration is October 25th. Let Gary Hyde and Joanne Santiago know that you have registered, so that a check can be sent.
November 13 - Pub Night - First and Last Tavern in Avon. Starts about 4:45 and provides an opportunity to visit with other Rotarians. Come and enjoy the low key fun!
November 22nd: FAVARH Annual Gala featuring Shake-A-Tail-Feather tribute to Motown
Induction of New Members
None today
Paul Harris Awards
Foundation Chair Joanne Santiago presented self-funded Paul Harris awards to Phil Ferrari and Sue Budde who had both received initial Paul Harris Awards from the club. They had made additional donations to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund to receive this recognition. Sue received a Paul Harris+1 as a result of a donation made in honor of her mother. Phil received a Paul Harris+3 for his continued support of the foundation. Congratulations to both!
Awards
None this week
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
Presentation
Shelly Whitlock-Pope
Shepard Meadows Therapeutic Riding Center
President Heather introduced Shelly Whitlock-Pope who is the Executive Director of Shepard Meadows Therapeutic Riding Center. She showed a video which gave a sense of the work with horses, as well as actual riding, which is part of the work of the center.
There are actually four different programs at the center:
Therapeutic Riding, the most popular form of Equine-Assisted Activities & Therapies (EAAT), is mounted horseback riding for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with special needs through the teaching of horsemanship skills. Shepard Meadows provides the encouragement and supports to assure that riders are both safe and successful. Riders and their families equally enjoy their time at the beautiful and tranquil farm.
Veterans Programs are provided at no cost to Veterans and their families. Both mounted and unmounted horsemanship programs are offered for physical, emotional, social, recreational and educational gains. Horses live in the moment; they don’t judge, and they are completely honest. As sentient beings, they know exactly how the people with them are feeling, even if those people lack awareness or complete understanding themselves. They are natural, thoughtful and reflective teachers, who are willing, open-hearted, patient, instinctively nonjudgemental and responsive. They are honest communicators, living in the moment, and can provide wisdom and natural healing.
Youth-at-risk programs, known as Unmounted Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Programs, commonly consists of 6 weekly small-group lessons of one hour in length.
Community riding programs are open to all members of the community, whether they are looking for general horsemanship classes, or horseback riding lessons. Participants may be interested in riding again after a hiatus, or perhaps always wanted to take up horseback riding, but never had the opportunity. Individuals who are interested in riding lessons generally follow the Therapeutic Riding Program seasonal program schedules, 8 weeks spring and fall, with two four-week long summer sessions. Winter unmounted horsemanship lessons are also an option. Programs can be designed for one-time horsemanship visits. This may include Scouts, school groups, or residential outings, for example.
Therapeutic riding programs started in Europe. Horses which are about 15 years old are best for being able to follow directions and not being too skittish for untrained riders. It is important to balance the herd in order to meet the needs of program participants. At present there are 10 horses and a mule in the herd. Working with the horse can give young people with developmental delays an activity at which to be successful and can provide respite for family members. The power of the horse goes beyond riding. The horse’s nature and responsiveness can help to relieve anxiety and depression.
Every ride offered at the center loses money, because of the cost of maintaining the herd and also the labor intensive nature of the program. Several people on foot accompany each rider and horse. The center has 50 volunteers, and there is an administrative staff to organize them. The center needs and receives support from a number of individuals and companies in the community.
On November 3, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., there is an open house for veterans to let them know about the programs offered to them. There is no charge for veteran participants. The challenge is that many veterans are so depressed and isolated that it is difficult to get them to come to the center to find out how they might be helped.
The center is in the process of a turnaround, which was needed. Shelly Pope has the background to make the changes necessary. They are adding paddocks and other amenities to a 200-year old farm. A covered arena is planned by 2021. It’s an exciting time to see the value and results of such a center.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Today's photographs courtesy of Mike Mehzeritskiy and Arnie Goldman.
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
