www.the-papers.com
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Serving Elkhart County and parts of Noble, LaGrange & Marshall Counties Know Your Neighbor. . . . . 2➤ Speak Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Home Improvement . . . . 6-11 Vol. 49 No. 27
Goshen (574) 534-2591
134 S. Main, Goshen, Indiana 46526
Stable Grounds
helps Middlebury kids find firm footing
*(77,1* 620( $77(17,21 ³ .RUL &ULSH D WKHUDSLVW DW 6WDEOH *URXQGV DQG 'U -DQH $O OHQ JLYH 0DUWLQD %DLOH\ DQG &DUPHQ VRPH DWWHQWLRQ EHWZHHQ VHVVLRQV 6WDEOH *URXQGV XVHV PLQLDWXUH KRUVHV DQG GRQNH\V WR SURYLGH PHQWDO KHDOWK VHUYLFHV WR VWXGHQWV LQ 0LGGOHEXU\ &RPPXQLW\ 6FKRROV 7H[W DQG 3KRWRV %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 $VVRFLDWH (GLWRU Middlebury Community Schools has decided to address the mental health needs of its students with equine therapy. Called Stable Grounds, the program allows students to work through their issues with the help of miniature horses and donkeys. As far as anyone can tell, this program is the first of its kind in the country where an equine therapy program is supported by a school system. Dr. Jane Allen, who recently retired as school superintendent, and Kori Cripe, a former student of Allen’s, who was a school nurse and is now a counselor, were seeing kids coming in with behavior issues they had never seen before. What made things more alarming was students were being referred to local agencies for mental health services but there were no openings for months. Cripe recommended horse therapy using miniature horses and donkeys. Allen wasn’t too sure at first but then had a friend who was dealing with cancer and had her own miniature horse. Allen’s friend credits her mini with helping her survive. “Our goal was to take care of a whole lot of issues at once,” Allen said, explaining it just wasn’t the lack of services available, but the obstacles of getting those services to the child such as transportation and scheduling issues. “It (the mental health help) can be during the day with people who have been in schools. “We honestly thought this would never happen until we died,” Allen said. Allen
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and Cripe then approached the Boys & dlebury Community Schools handles the said Snider. “It doesn’t feel like traditional Girls Club of Elkhart County’s program operation side while donations and grants therapy. It’s so cool to be a part of the school system.” committee about their idea. Kevin Deary, pay for the program side. Stable Grounds just started offering aspresident and CEO of the Boys & Girls Stable Grounds uses approximately nine Club of Elkhart County, allowed the two to 10 miniature horses and donkeys with sistance to children and is only meeting women to address the board about making all types of personalities. Becca Snider, a with them during the school day for now. Usually a session is about 45 minthe equine therapy utes to an hour. The students come program part of in, discuss a goal they may want to the club’s upcomaddress or why they were referred ing capital camto the program. paign. The student then selects which After hearing mini he or she wants to assist in their pitch, David the lesson. It may be one or two or and Dawn Weed all of them. met with Deary, “Every session is different. I can’t Allen and Cripe tell you what’s going to happen,” to further discuss Cripe said. Snider said the students the program. The are able to put the metaphor on Weeds donated the horse by explaining how they $500,000 toward may be feeling by saying the horse the project. Allen doesn’t want to do something in the approached Lance arena because they feel the same Miller, whose way as the student does. family owns Das “Things that would take four Dutchman Essenor five sessions for a teenage boy haus, about purto say in an office come out all at chasing 3 acres of once,” Allen explained. their property for When in a session the horses are a barn and graz*2,1* 29(5 7+( 523(6 ³ %HFFD 6QLGHU D PHQWDO KHDOWK ing area. When the VSHFLDOLVW DW 6WDEOH *URXQGV SXWV RQH RI WKH SURJUDP·V PLQLDWXUH loose in the arena and can choose to family heard about KRUVHV WKRXJK D EULHI WUDLQLQJ VHVVLRQ 6WDEOH *URXQGV LV DQ HTXLQH participate with the student or not. “For the most part the horse choosthe program, they WKHUDS\ SURJUDP WKDW XVHV PLQLDWXUH KRUVHV DQG GRQNH\V 7KH SUR chose to donate the JUDP LV SDUWQHUHG ZLWK 0LGGOHEXU\ &RPPXQLW\ 6FKRROV 3KRWR E\ es in how they participate which makes it different than therapeuland. Jeremy Con- /DXUHQ =HXJQHU tic riding,” Snider explained. struction did all So far community reaction to the permitting and construction of the barn. mental health therapist, explained there the new program has been pretty positive “It’s amazing how a small community are older horses, younger horses, nice hors- as parents are messaging Stable Grounds asking about how to get their children in really believes in its children,” Allen said. es and yes, even naughty horses. The way Stable Grounds works is Mid“They’re (the kids) so excited to come,” the program.