My Nonprofit Reviews

My second review.
GallopNYC is an organization that is very close to my heart. My nineteen year-old daughter was born with Cerebral Palsy, and when she was diagnosed, our team of doctors hypothesized not only that her life would be challenging, but that her condition would worsen with age. Yet at three years old, despite medical predictions, she began learning how to walk with a walker, and her hopeful rehab specialist recommended we enroll her in therapeutic horseback riding. Scary as it may have been for a concerned parent, it proved to be the best, most fruitful, and must therapeutic experience we have ever encountered. This is how my daughter and I became involved with GallopNYC.

Over the years, though my daughter has graduated from therapeutic horseback riding and gone onto achieve great success in the able-bodied competitive equestrian circuit, our involvement with GallopNYC has not only remained, but increased. I essentially came out of retirement to pursue an active membership within GallopNYC’s board, bringing my previous thirty years of Wall Street and managerial experience to the table as we sought to expand the organization. This materialized in my mission to secure two full-time facilities for GallopNYC to base the programs out of. As for my daughter, she regularly works with the stable management team to grow and improve our herd of horses, offering precise training and schooling to the horses so that they can perform their best for our riders.

From watching my daughter, serving on the board, and interacting with volunteers, I have witnessed time and time again how GallopNYC has enabled and changed the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities. The rewards my daughter reaped from her participation in GallopNYC were miraculous, and it warms my heart each and every day to be involved in another family’s miracle. The encouraging and dedicated volunteers, the organized and driven staff members, the patience and reliability of our horses, the oversight and focus of the board, and the smiles and appreciation of the riders, each support one another and work in tandem to create the magical experience that is GallopNYC.