Donor Spotlight: BARBARA WILLIAMS

Earlier this year, a critical need arose in the Inner Harbour therapeutic horsemanship program for two new draft horses. Barbara Williams and her family made a generous contribution to help purchase Apollo and Bentley for the herd.

How did you and your family become involved with Youth Villages?

We have our family philanthropic fund with the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta because of its emphasis on participatory philanthropy. Our advisor contacted me when she heard of Youth Villages’ need to find new horses for the therapeutic horsemanship program. I thought it might be a good fit for us, knowing our interest in horses and their therapeutic potential. We wanted to see the program before making a commitment. We were given an incredible tour of the facilities and a thorough experiential understanding of the horsemanship program.

What do you think sets Youth Villages apart in its work with children and families?

I was impressed with the courage and commitment shown to children and families who have reached desperate points in their lives, particularly with the respect and love shown them by the staff I met.

Your gift helped bring two new horses to the therapeutic horsemanship program. What impact do you hope that gift will have on the children at Inner Harbour?

When the children received the horses into the herd, some of them wrote us the kindest, sweetest thank you notes revealing what the horses meant to them, so I already know the immediate impact. Their sense of being unworthy communicate with our deepest fears and our greatest joys. That’s what I hope Bentley and Apollo will share with their young riders.

Why should someone consider becoming more involved with Youth Villages?

We have found Youth Villages to be a very open and uplifting atmosphere designed for the care and protection of especially vulnerable youth. Youth Villages utilizes an array of modalities from horsemanship to drumming to gardening and canine care to reach children who might need more than the traditional therapeutic approaches.