20/20 Vision Campaign Brochure

20/20 Vision Campaign leadership

THEEQUEST CENTER IS A POWERFUL BEACON OF HOPE AND HEALING FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND ADULTS. WE OPENED WITH 16 RIDERS AND SEVEN acres in 1990. Now, more than 32 years later, we serve more than 185 students with physical, mental, and social/emotional disabilities each week on a farm that fills 35 acres. It is the only year-round therapeutic riding center in this area.

Therapeutic riding helps people become stronger, healthier, and more indepen dent while having fun. Equest Center makes therapy enjoyable for people with many different needs, while building strength, capability, and purpose. We’re leveraging strengths to overcome weaknesses, and the riders don’t even realize it’s happening.

For that reason, demand for our services is growing. There’s always a waiting list. Our plans for the future include capital investments to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. They include new programs and services that will expand the number of people we can serve, and a plan to improve our financial sustain ability on both the revenue and expense side. A greatly improved facility dedicated to increasing the capacity to meet demand for services is our ultimate goal. Your support can make this vision a reality.

We invite you to partner with us as we create new, expanded opportunities through our 20/20 Vision campaign. THIS IS A CRUCIAL EFFORT ON BEHALF OF EQUEST CENTER FOR THERAPEUTIC RIDING AND ITS COMMITMENT TO THE MANY SPECIAL NEEDS INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO BENEFIT FROM OUR SERVICES. As you consider this request, we offer an invitation to visit the center and see therapeutic riding in action! We are very proud of what our program is accomplishing and would love to share it with you.

Thank you!

Dear Friend of Equest,

Rachel Maranda

Maranda Campaign Co-Chair

Rachel Mraz Campaign Co-Chair

Campaign cabinet

& Shannon Andrus

Robert Bondy Trish Castiglione

Lori “Maranda” Cook Jordan Custer

Dave DeGraw

Dr. Denise Gribbin MD

Matt Johnson Kevin Kuske Catherine Michael Rachel Mraz Sara Nelson Christina Rosloniec Kathy Ryan Beth Spica

Ken & Michelle Trupke

I

About our campaign

Dear Friend of Equest,

Executive Director

FIRST STEPPED THROUGH THE DOORS OF EQUEST CENTER ALMOST 26 YEARS AGO AS A PARENT OF A 4-YEAR OLD LITTLE BOY WITH AUTISM. Since that time, Equest Center has changed both of our lives!

As Executive Director, I am thrilled to be a part of the 20/20 Vision Capital effort. This will have a profound effect on many individuals of all ages with a wide range of physical, mental, social and emotional disabilities.

The renovation and expansion of this facility and services will make a real impact on the lives of the thousands of individuals who rely on the programs and services of Equest Center. Each week we welcome 185 riders of all ages to enjoy the benefits of The Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, with a waiting list of over 50 disabled individuals hoping to participate in our programs.

A GREATLY IMPROVED FACILITY DEDICATED TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR OUR SERVICES IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL We invite you to join hands with us to make this vision a reality.

Empowering every ability through equine-based therapy

FINANCIAL PROFILE:

Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, Inc. is a non-profit organization that holds a 501(c)3 status. Income is generated by in-kind donations (4%), grants (9%), donations (25%), fundraising /special events (46%) and program fees (16%). It is vital for us to raise needed funds because our policy is to turn NO students away due to lack of financial ability.

Creative services and printing for this brochure were donated by a non-rehabitable horse addict.

THE FARM ENVIRONMENT IS RELAXING; AND THE FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE IS A refreshing change from conventional therapy facilities. The majority of special needs indi viduals have had much more than their share of doctor visits and stressful therapy sessions. For them, Equest offers the opportunity to use their strengths, improve on their weaknesses, gain independence, and reach their personal and therapeutic goals in a fun, exciting envi ronment. To put it simply: EQUEST PROVIDES THERAPY DISGUISED AS FUN!

– Kathy Ryan, Executive Director

Micki Ackerman

Jeff Agar

Chris

Kathy Ryan

Who we are

EQUEST CENTER FOR THERAPEUTIC RIDING IS AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR WEST MICHIGAN.

MISSION STATEMENT

We improve quality of life through equine-based therapy to physically, mentally, and socially/emo tionally challenged individuals. Our unique program integrates academic, social, and physical skills, using the horse as a catalyst.

EQUEST IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EQUINE THERAPY PROGRAMS

1. Equest Center serves more special needs individ uals each week than any other equine therapy center in West Michigan and is one of two largest centers in all of Michigan.

PRIMARY DISABILITIES OF CLIENTS SERVED

Other 15.90%

Emotional disabilities

Post Traumatic Syndrome 2.30%

Emotional / Behavior 4.00%

TOTAL 6.30%

Mental disabilities

Mentally/Leaming Impaired 15.00%

Down Syndrome 4.00%

ADD / ADHD 4.00%

Dementia 2.50%

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 1.50%

Autism Spectrum 1.30%

Tourette Syndrome 1.00%

Hunters Syndrome 1.00%

Sensory Dysfunction 0.30%

TOTAL 30.60%

Physical disabilities

Cerebral Palsy 14.00%

Brain/ Spinal Cord Injury 8.00%

Multiple Sclerosis 2.70%

Muscular Dystrophy 2.70% Deaf/Hard of Hearing 2.50%

Arthritis 2.00%

Prader-Willi Syndrome 2.00%

Stroke 2.00%

Cancer 1.50%

Visually Impaired 1.30% Amputees 1.20%

Muscular Atrophy 1.00% Spina Bifida 1.00%

TOTAL 41.90%

Social disabilities

Developmentally Delayed 3.30%

Eating Disorders 2.00%

IS CELEBRATING OVER 32 YEARS OF BRINGING health, hope, and happiness to individuals with spe cial needs – all through the power of Equine Ther apy! We proudly celebrate each FIRST STEP taken, FIRST WORD spoken, FIRST FRIENDSHIP made and so many other “firsts” our clients have experienced through the years. Together, we have transformed the lives of THOUSANDS with physical, mental, and social/emotional disabilities, brought hope and joy to fantastic families and, in our own special way, made West Michigan a better place for people with special needs to live, grow and thrive!

EQUEST CENTER FOR THERAPEUTIC RIDING

2. Equest is an ADA Accessible Facility for all Disabili ties. The barn boasts a welcome center, classroom, observation room and restrooms all designed ac cording to ADA accessibility guidelines.

3. Equest instructors are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Inter national (PATH Intl.) Our staff includes licensed teachers and degreed professionals. Therapeutic Riding has been recognized as a beneficial mode of therapy by the American Physical and Occupa tional Therapy Associations.

4. Equest Center’s heated indoor arena and facilities allow us to provide YEAR-ROUND services. This consistency of programming is a critical piece for many individuals with disabilities.

EQUEST’S HISTORY

Equest Center was founded in June 1990 with the first therapy classes serving 16 riders per week with a handful of horses on seven acres of land. Since that time, the facility has grown to serve 185+ clients per week with 34 horses on 34+ acres of land. Vital to the program’s success has been the contribution of an army of volunteers (600+) who have donated over 57,000 hours of service each year.

5. Equest offers more specialized, unique program ming options in conjunction with our therapeutic riding program that are specifically designed to meet the needs of our clients.

6. Equest serves those with an expansive range of disabilities including those with more severe phys ical and mobility challenges such as brain injury, paraplegic, quadriplegic and severely multiply impaired, among others.

No two clients at Equest are the same. Most have a primary disability coupled with secondary disabilities. Disabilities range from mild to severe. Our Equine therapy programs are designed to meet the individual needs of each rider.

SPECIALIZED, UNIQUE PROGRAMMING OPTIONS

TOTAL 5.30%

Equest offers more specialized, unique programming options in conjunction with our therapeutic riding program that are specifically designed to meet the needs of our clients.

Therapeutic Riding Program

Summer Horsemanship Day Camps

Horses for Heroes – For Veterans & Active Military

Vocational & Job Training

Team Building

Senior Saturdays – Connecting with the Elderly

Horses As Healers – For those affected by Cancer, Grief & Trauma

Saddle Safari Sensory Discovery Trail

Adaptive Carriage Driving Program

Equine Assisted Mental Health

Horses & Hands – Volunteer Programs

Minis on a Mission Equest horses trav eling into schools, homes, hospice, and group homes

Testimonials

“Veterans are a different breed. We have thoughts that no one should ever experience. What you do saves lives. The joy and apprecia tion that I feel every time experi ence the peace at Equest is truly lifesaving.”

– Vietnam veteran in our Horses for Heroes program.

“I came for the horses and stayed for the people.”

– Equest Volunteer

“You think your life is hard. Then you come here, and you get perspec tive on what ‘hard’ really means. And then it’s just an honor to help.”

– Equest Volunteer

“A lot goes into Verek’s therapy here at the Center. It’s more than sitting on a horse. He’s working on using muscles that he’s not used to using. Not only is this working his listener response skills, but he’s also working with imitation as well. During his session he is also working on social skills with the side walkers as well as with the horse. He’s learning how to care and respect the horses around him.

Verek is nonverbal. While riding, one of the expectations placed on him is to tap the “go button” to communicate that he would like the horse to move/walk. So he will be riding the horse, then his instructor, Kelly, will have the horse stop, and then she waits for him to tap the “go button” to continue. Once he taps the button, Kelly will say “walk” and the horse walks again. A few weeks ago, Verek was riding around and tapping his button as usual, but the next time horse stopped was differ ent.... This time, Verek tapped the “go button” and out of his mouth came the word “WALK”!!! In that moment, everyone’s eyes welled up with tears of joy and jaws hit the ground, and of course everyone celebrated this victory with him!!! This was the miracle we were told might never happen; the miracle that we waited over eight years for and always knew he had in him. Verek found his voice here at the Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, through the many hours of dedication from the volunteers and the staff. He found it through the confidence of not being judged by what he can’t do and by having people focus on what he can do. He found it by being allowed to be himself and to feel safe.”

“Loralei starting riding at Equest at age 2! She contin ues to ride at Equest and also now rides with our local 4-H Riding Program and is a member of her school Equestrian team! She wouldn’t be where she is today without Equest. It’s given her a lot of strength, a lot of confidence, and a lot of abilities.We saved her from having hip surgery because of riding every week.”

“Equest blazes the way for me and kids like me to achieve their dreams and reach their greatest po tential. With YOUR help, more kids will be able to experience their future, not from just their wheelchairs looking up at others, but from atop a horse looking out over their future.”

“Cody’s job and interpersonal skills have grown tremendously over the past year. He has several paid part-time jobs and still volunteers at other organiza tions too.”

– Verek & Mom

– Kaeta DeHoek, Loralei’s mom

– Johnny Agar

– Vocational Volunteer program Team, Barb and Cody

The challenge Our solutions

INCREASED DEMAND FOR SERVICES.

1. Individuals with physical, mental, and social/emo tional challenges continue to be referred to and depend on Equest. We are the only year-round ther apeutic riding center in our area. THERE IS ALWAYS

A WAITING LIST.

2. Requests continue to pour in for expanded therapy options to meet the needs created by community budget cuts. Individuals who are unable to sit astride a horse could benefit from other horse-related treat ments if we made them available.

3. Our current building capacities are not sufficient to support this increase in demand for services.

4. Our facilities must be updated and maintained regularly and efficiently to provide a safe envi ronment and experience for clients, staff and our horses (our equine therapists).

OUR SOLUTIONS TO THESE CHANGING AND GROWING NEEDS INVOLVE THREE COMPONENTS.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

The first is a significant investment in CAPITAL IMPROVE MENTS that will improve our efficiency and reduce op erating costs. For example, we must finish updating our miles of wooden fences (that require painting and much repair) with low-maintenance, pre-coated flex fencing. We need a dump trailer so we can stop paying other people to take away horse manure, and a hay storage barn so we can buy hay in-season at a lower cost and store it. These and other investments will help us reduce our dependence on expensive outsourced services, im prove safety and make us more efficient.

SERVING MORE PEOPLE

FINANCIAL DEMAND TO CARE FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES IS INCREASING.

5. WE NEVER TURN ANYONE AWAY DUE TO INABILITY TO PAY FOR OUR SERVICES The reality is that many of our families experience unemployment, loss of in surance, benefits and rising health costs which can impact all aspects of treatment. The medical bills and extra costs for someone with special needs can be staggering. Scholarship dollars are essential.

INCREASED NEED FOR EFFICIENCY

6. IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE RUN AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE IN ALL AREAS OF OPERATIONS as every dollar saved can provides additional funding for our clients in need.

1. EQUINE THERAPY SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS are essential for so many of our clients. This campaign includes $1 million in scholarship funds. The earnings from the scholarship fund will provide at least $3,500 each month for scholarships. That increase in scholarship money will give more students the life-changing ben efit of equine therapy.

2. Construction of a new ADA ACCESSIBLE ADMINIS TRATIVE BUILDING to provide workspace, private meeting rooms for client consultations, large confer ence room for Veteran’s programming and continu ing education for our Certified Instructors, complete kitchen facilities and ample room for our interns and volunteer crew. Our current administrative building is a double wide trailer that is in dire need of many in-depth repairs and suffering from being well-loved and well-used for over 32 years.

3. Construction of new CARRIAGE AND HAY BARN to house and operate a new adaptive carriage driving program (and store our hay purchased in season). This will serve students who cannot sit on a horse, or those who could benefit from additional skills that can be taught through driving instead of riding.

4. Construction of a RIDING PAVILION to cover our outdoor arena. This will offer us a second place for sheltered riding (in addition to our indoor arena), and provide more scheduling flexibility to serve additional riders throughout the year.

5. Special Equine Program tailored for the deaf and hard of hearing with needed equipment, program ming and training.

6. Further enhance and expand our programs for vet erans, seniors, as well as additional vocational and job training for our students to help prepare them for meaningful work and increased independence.

THROUGH ALL THESE EFFORTS, WE WILL DOUBLE THE CAPACITY OF RIDERS WE ARE ABLE TO SERVE.

SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE FUTURE

7. Finally, we are focused on sustainability. Every incom ing and outgoing dollar counts. We want to build our capacity for fundraising to engage more people in our work.

EQUEST CENTER FOR THERAPEUTIC RIDING IS COMPLETELY DEBT FREE! 100% OF FUNDS RAISED WILL GO TOWARD SCHOLARSHIPS, PROGRAMMING, AND CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THIS CAMPAIGN.

RIDING

ADMINISTRATIVE

pavilion

How you can help

EQUEST CENTER’S THERA PEUTIC SUCCESSES HAVE caused the demand for services to grow! To meet those demands we are seeking $3.8 million in commu nity philanthropy to renovate and expand Equest Center’s facility and services.

Your charitable gift is tax deduct ible to the full extent of the state and federal law. Please check with your tax advisor to determine how your gift might affect your person al tax situation.

THIS PROJECT, WHICH INCLUDES IMPROVEMENTS, ENHANCEMENTS AND PROGRAMMING SUPPORT, WILL BOTH IMPROVE THE EXPERI ENCE FOR CURRENT PARTICIPANTS AND EXPAND CAPACITY TO MEET SERVICE DEMAND.

Each week, 185 riders enjoy the benefits of the Equest Center, with a waiting list of over 50 hoping to participate in our programs. A greatly improved facility to meet demand for services is our ultimate goal. Your support can make this vision a reality.