VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — AUGUST 2017

Rainbow’s Volunteer of the Month for August is Lila Shipley

Lila Shipley came to Rainbow last summer as a Girl Power camper. She loved the camp experience and wanted to come back to Rainbow as a volunteer. Since completing the Volunteer Training this past June, Lila immediately signed up to help with ALL four of our summer camp sessions, as well as sidewalking for private lessons and helping with upcoming events!

Now a sophomore at Battlefield High School, Lila enjoys singing in the choir and playing softball. In addition to volunteering at Rainbow, she is also a teacher’s assistant with the 1st grade Sunday School at St. Katherine Drexel Mission.

Lila’s favorite Rainbow horses are Kingston and Jack (and Chance who recently retired).

Thank you, Lila for giving so much of your time to help our campers and students! We are so glad you are one of our Rainbow family members!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — JUNE 2017

Rainbow’s Volunteer of the Month for June is Nathan Ray.

Nathan Ray began volunteering at the Rainbow Riding Center in 2016 because he wanted to give back to his community and support positive change for those who need it most.  He continues volunteering at the Riding Center because of the smiling faces of all those he meets, as well as the determination of fellow volunteers to create positive experiences for riders.  Nathan is a rising Senior at Battlefield High School and enjoys leading the Clarinet section of the Battlefield Marching Band, as well as playing clarinet in Battlefield’s Wind Ensemble.  Aside from band, Nathan also plays on the Battlefield Varsity Tennis Team.

We are thankful to have Nathan here as a volunteer.  Thank you, Nathan for all your great help at Rainbow!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — APRIL 2017

Rainbow’s Volunteer of the Month for April is Sonya Giffin.

Sonya is from Charleston, South Carolina. Her first introduction to Rainbow was in June 2015 when she held a 2-day Equus Workshop at our facility.  Sonya fell in love with Virginia’s horse country and moved to the area in November 2016.

Sonya loves to spend time with horses, so naturally that is what she looks forward to most when volunteering at Rainbow. Her favorite horses are Lad and our newest addition, Charlie.

Professionally, Sonya works with individuals, leaders and groups in the areas of personal growth, leadership, team building and business strategy.  Since moving to Virginia, Sonya and our own Meg, have created a business called Indieglow, offering Equus Coaching and nature-based learning.

We are thankful to have Sonya here as a volunteer Horse Leader and Side walker.  Thank you, Sonya for all your great help at Rainbow!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — MARCH 2017

Rainbow Volunteer of the Month for March is Margee Tyrrell.

Margee’s interest in horses and in helping others led her here to Rainbow in October of 2015.  Since then, Margee has made Rainbow her home away from home!  She is a valued, competent and reliable Sidewalker on multiple weekday lessons and with our Walter Reed Riders, as well as all day Saturdays and very often as a fill in on short notice!

Margee loves to help with anything and everything at Rainbow… Whether it’s lessons, our Fun Show, or our Open House, you will see Margee here.  You can see many great photos of Margee in action on our Facebook page – and it’s no accident she is always smiling – Margee truly loves Rainbow.

We are thankful that Margee is part of our Volunteer Family!

NEW BARN CONSTRUCTION AND BULL RUN OBSERVER ARTICLE

We’re excited about construction beginning on our new 11-stall barn. The new barn will have a large, climatized tack room, a feed room, a wash stall, and an upstairs loft that will be used as a meeting room and for seminars and education.

While we have begun construction, we are still raising money. Especially for items like landscaping, a washing machine, a dryer, and stall mats, etc. Our need is about $15,000 for these important odds and ends. Please consider a donation to help make the barn the best it can be for our therapy horses and their riders.

Read the article written by our own Mary Vardi for the Bull Run Observer, below.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — OCTOBER 2016

Our Volunteer of the Month is Anne Archer.

Anne came to Rainbow last year, and brought her enthusiasm with her!  She is an active sidewalker and Horse Leader, helping with several classes on multiple weekdays, as well as filling in on short notice when she can.

Anne works as a Nanny and enjoys trail riding and dressage with her horse, Buddy.  She is also studying to be a yoga instructor for children.

Anne became involved with therapeutic riding when she donated her childhood pony, Patches, to a riding program.  She watched as dozens of kids fell in love with him, and he came into his own as a therapy pony.

When she moved to Northern Virginia last year, Anne began volunteering at Rainbow.  She really appreciates all she learns here from our fabulous instructors (our thoughts, but Anne’s words on that…) She also learns so much from other volunteers, as well as the students and the horses.

Her work ethic and attitude are a fitting tribute to her pony, Patches:  Everyone has something to share.  Thank you, Anne for sharing your time and talents with us at Rainbow!

HUMAN & HORSE STORY IN HAYMARKET LIFESTYLE

We’re pleased to share this great article about Rainbow that was published in Haymarket Lifestyle’s November Issue. Following is a just a taste:

Human & Horse

By Mary Vardi

“The history of humans’ partnership with horses goes back many centuries. They helped us tame the land, they carried and pulled us across continents and until modern times, fought at our side in battles, great and small. The working horse has faded from the landscape and the competitive and pleasure horse has taken his place.

Equine assisted activities are any specific center activity, e.g. therapeutic riding mounted or ground activities that are used with special needs children and adults for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with special needs.”

You can read the entire article here as a PDF.

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — SEPTEMBER 2016

Hi folks! We’re running a bit behind due to the Fun Show and working to catch up.

Our Volunteer of the Month for September is Halle Kozlowski. Halle is a freshman at Battlefield High School and participated in our Training Session at Rainbow in September. Halle has jumped right in as a volunteer sidewalker, although her favorite task is keeping our smaller ponies exercised regularly. Halle is also one of the many awesome volunteers who helped with our Fun Show. We are glad you are part of our volunteer family! Thank you, Halle, for all your help here at Rainbow!

The Lift

We have this amazing contraption at Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center. It’s called “The Lift.”

Yes, it deserves capital letters. It’s held in very high regard like our equines, our volunteers, and our students. It doesn’t have a heart or a soul like the others, but it makes our hearts sing!

How could something made with metal and a motor make us so happy you ask? Well, “The Lift” allows us to mount up our riders who use a wheelchair for mobility. It helps us safely “lift” our riders out of their mechanical devices and gently place them on top of a horse. Then the freedom begins. It gives them the ability to sit tall and have a bird’s-eye view from atop a horse.

Oh, what a view! The metal and wheels and plastic and motors are left far behind. They are free now. Free to walk and trot and go on trails in the woods. Away from all contraptions that make life easier but are not natural like the movement of a four-legged equine.

The air is different up there. It’s lighter. It’s easier to breathe. It’s magical. The views, the air, the freedom, it’s almost too much to take in. So yes, we are all very grateful for “The Lift.”

Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — JANUARY 2016

Rainbow Volunteer of the Month for January 2016 is Margee Tyrrell (Margee is left of the lift in a dark knit cap, assisting.).

Margee’s interest in horses and in helping others led her here to Rainbow in October of 2015. And we’re so glad! Margee has enthusiastically jumped in with afternoon lessons, Mane Experience, and with Wounded Warriors. Margee is here more days of the week than not……helping with some aspect of Rainbow’s lesson programs. She has also offered her expertise in designing forms for tracking lesson progress.

Thank you Margee for your enthusiastic help! We’re so glad you’re one of our valued Rainbow Family!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — DECEMBER 2015

Rainbow’s December Volunteer of the Month is shared by our Mother/Daughter dynamic duo of Caroline and Sarah Noel.

Caroline and Sarah share an interest in horses and in helping others. They completed their volunteer training just this past August and have been helping with afternoon classes with instructor Emily Rist. Often they have been asked to fill in on short notice — we really appreciate their willingness to help us out! Together they provide Sidewalker support and groom the horses between classes.

Thank you Sarah and Caroline. We admire your family’s commitment to seeing that riders have the support they need and that classes can continue as scheduled!

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH — OCTOBER 2015

Volunteer of the Month for October at Rainbow is Diane Park.

Diane is a regular volunteer, helping regularly with the farm chores. While Shane was sick and in the hospital, Diane was a huge help covering many of the farm chores, as well as feeding. Diane is also is a dedicated Wounded Warrior volunteer. Thank you Diane for all your hard work, especially while it was most needed!

THANK YOU, MINNIELAND ACADEMY!

Therapeutic Riding Program to Continue with a generous donation from Minnieland Academy Founder

Chuck and Jackie Leopold, the founders of the Minnieland Academy truly have a heart for children. As the leaders of the Virginia based early childhood education company, their impact on the community has been significant for more than 43 years.  Minnieland Academy will fund the “Mane Experience” with a gift of $70,000. This monetary amount will cover the entire program for 2015.

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