After separating from the Navy in May "13" I thought I had a plan, but honestly didn't really know what to do so I started searching for places to volunteer near me. I found Hope Therapy and little did I know that I would be finding my home away from home. I didn't know anything about horses and had little knowledge about individuals with special needs at the time, but everyone at Hope Therapy was so kind and helpful that on my first day volunteering I knew that I wanted to keep coming back! Not once on my first day did I feel uncomfortable, out of place, or in the way. Marianne and Rebecca treat the horses, the clients, and the volunteers with an incredible amount of kindness and respect and I couldn't help but want to do as much as I could for them. From seeing the smile on the face of a client when they get to the ranch, to being able to witness the transformation of a client's behavior from negative to positive as soon as they get on the horse is an incredible and heart warming experience. I've had the chance to hold a client's hand when they were scared and had the opportunity to provide them with security. I've also had the pleasure to see clients learn/relearn to walk again by utilizing the horse as their therapy tool. Not only has it been rewarding to be able to provide assistance to this organization, but also this organization helped me transition from military to civilian life by being around the horses and giving me the opportunity to continue serving others.
I have been volunteering at Hope Therapy for over a year now and I can't begin to express the joy that volunteering for Hope has brought me. Yes, that sounds selfish, honestly it's not, it's the joy that I get watching the patients and progress they make with the horses and the therapist. It is the most dedicated group of folks I have ever worked with. Marianne and Becky treat their volunteers and patients like gold too, horses too! I have done a lot of different volunteering and nothing has compared to what I experience at Hope. The results of the therapy are seen immediately and the amazing responses from the horses is something to behold too. It's really amazing to see how the horses respond to their patients. I could go on and on but I will stop to say this. It is an amazing adventure and I endorse it with all of my heart!
I love volunteering here. Everyone is so nice and the therapists are very professional. You can really tell they love what they do. I've been amazed with the progress of the clients. I get way more out of it than the help I offer. Highly recommend this beautiful facility.
My son has Down Syndrome and is extremely low tone. He also has lots of sensory issues as well. He started riding with Hope Therapy on Jiggy, the miniature horse, when he turned 2 years old. At the time he wasn't making many sounds and had horrible extension issues. A year later, my son is walking and on the verge of running! His extension issues are completely gone. He is making tons of sounds and has a few words. Even his sound aversion issues have improved dramatically. Since the owner, Becky, is also a licensed occupational therapist, the sessions are both OT and PT aimed. We couldn't be more thrilled!