My Nonprofit Reviews

I started volunteer at Spring Reins of Life during May of 2021 when a club I was president of introduced it to me and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Spring Reins of Life immediately became the favorite event for Interact Club and was one of the events that had the highest percentage of students attending as everyone was eager to go! I continuously got asked by club members when our next visit would be as well as people asking for information on how to get more involved with the organization. Personally, Spring Reins of Life had the biggest effect on me out of all the high school organizations, clubs, and events that I was apart of as it has allowed me the space and support to grow into who I am today. Going into senior year of high school, one of the biggest challenges is overcoming the stress of managing school work while also completing college applications that could change your life. I always tried to hide all the stress I was going through from the idea of college applications and school workloads, but with the herd I never felt like I had to put on a face. I would walk into the barn feeling like my world was literally ending because of a random exam I had coming up or a college decision coming in, yet I would take one look at the animals, who always knew exactly what I needed, and feel a continuous wave of calm ride over me. To be honest I was skeptical about the idea of horse therapy before visiting Spring Reins of Life, but I have never been more uneducated on a topic. On the days where all I wanted to do was sit in my room and anxiously wait till the day was over, it only took one visit from to the barn till I came back home with a whole new mindset. The only thing that I was able to find to alleviate my stress was volunteering for the animals at this nonprofit. I cannot remember a single instance where I ever left the barn with anything but the biggest smile on my face and a new achievement I made that I could tell my friends and family about. For example, when Molly would walk perfectly in stride with me across the fields, I always felt so powerful walking in sync with such a beautiful and powerful animal. I can confidently say that without these incredible animals and the opportunity to volunteer at this foundation I would not be as successful and content with life as I am right now. Specifically through Molly, one of the horses at Spring Reins of Life, I was able to learn pivotal life lessons from the effort that I had to put into creating such an unbreakable bond with her. I will forever be grateful towards Molly and she will always be known as one of the best animals that I have had the pleasure of meeting. My proudest achievement through all of high school was the time and work that I was able to put into this awe-inspiring nonprofit. I am currently in college, and one of the things I miss the most is the time I would spend with the herd as they all became such an important part of my life! SRoL has assisted me through so much without even trying, before this barn I wasn't even a horse person if you can believe that! Yet now I know how to halter, groom, walk, bathe, and feed a horse (not to mention how to clean stalls!). Something about the environment created by CC and the herd that resides at this organization always leaves people feeling like the weight of the world was finally lifted off their shoulders and people leave feeling proud about the work that they have done towards the incredible mission of SRoL. I would also like to bring light to CC and the incredibly selfless career path she chose. I have never met a more hardworking and inspiring person who has showed me to always precede through hard times even when you feel defeated. CC allows her herd to flourish and without her these animals would not be who they are today, without CC so many people would still feel a little too lost in life. It is obvious that the caring and generous personality of CC has rubbed off onto each animal in the herd, even the rooster! I wish nothing more than for people to begin to notice and appreciate Spring Reins of Life and to better understand the crucial impact that this organization has on our community. I have never been more proud to be apart of a community and will always be there for SRoL whenever I am able to as I have yet to find a place as special as this!