I started volunteering here because I love animals and wanted to learn more about horses. All the volunteers here feel like a community and everyone is welcome. The children we work with all have some type of diagnosis and are trying to overcome a goal each day.
My son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 5yrs old. He joined Wings of Hope in Oct 2023. His passion for horses grew even more with Wings of Hope. Before joining back in February he got sick with a common cold and germs were a big deal for him. Being on the spectrum it can become very obsessive so constantly washing became a part of everything he touched that it eventually affected his weight. Not being able to touch food for fear of his hands having germs.
When he started at Wings that is something we talked about and what he wanted to do was to be able to ride on his own as well. Over the months I saw his love go into touching the horses riding them and learning how to communicate with them. All while doing this the anxiety of having to wash was less and less.
And he slowly started to regain that peace of mind.
Before his sessions where over he met his goal to communicate with his horse and ride on his own. The time and dedication that this program does for our son is a true blessing for our family.
Both of my children (one with ASD), one with LD and ADHD) have been coming to Wings of Hope for the last 2 years. It is the SINGULAR activity we can consistently participate in because of my daughter’s challenging behaviors. The staff and volunteers love us well and simply get our kids. Such a blessing to our community!
Our family became a client summer 2021. Our daughter receives weekly equine therapy lessons and has significantly increased her core strength and balance. She’s also become extremely calm when riding and that’s a perfect sign to let us know she’s happy. We are forever grateful to WOH!
My son was suffering immense grief after losing his Grandparents, who had been a huge part of his life. As well as the loss of his dog due to cancer. This grief exacerbated his autism (social skills and ability to cope). From experience I knew traditional therapy would not help. At Wings of Hope he immediately liked all of the employees and volunteers. Fell in love with his horse and began to heal. Without a doubt Equitherapy and Wings of Hope has been a blessing to our son and to us. I would and have recommended them to anyone with any need.
Wings of Hope has been a great resource for our family and our child who struggled with speech challenges early in life. Their work made the biggest impact out of each of the therapies we were involved in.
I came to Wings of Hope to volunteer in 2014. I worked as an Interpreter for the Deaf so I had been around people with disabilities for many years and enjoyed working with them. I loved horses but didn't know anything about them. Wings opened the door to the world of horses and taught me everything I wanted to learn. I became a Volunteer Captain about a year after I started volunteering. This position allowed me to help train new volunteers. I volunteered for 3 years before I decided to go into training to become an instructor. I trained for a year and became an instructor in 2018. Working at Wings of Hope has been the very best job I have ever had.