The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association Raises Nearly $50,000 to Assist Its Centers Affected by This Year’s Hurricanes
Equestrian News Release
DENVER, CO–North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) is proud to announce that nearly $50,000 has been raised for a fund to assist NARHA Centers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida which were affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Seventy pound arena lights toppled, flooded barns and several equine deaths are just a sampling of the devastation NARHA Centers faced in the wake of this year’s hurricanes. NARHA’s 2005 Annual Meeting and Conference was held in Houston, TX, in November after relocation from the originally scheduled location of New Orleans, LA. In an effort to mitigate the impact of the hurricane damage, proceeds of the Annual Silent Auction held in conjunction with the association’s national conference were collected for the NARHA Gulf Coast Hurricane Assistance Fund. In addition, the fund was strengthened by donations collected prior to and during the conference, including a collection at a conference luncheon. Due to the overwhelming generosity of NARHA’s constituency, this fund will be able to make a substantial contribution toward assisting NARHA Centers in their recovery efforts so they may resume the essential work of enriching the lives of individuals with special needs through equine assisted activities.
“We are all inspired by the awesome participation of our membership and caring supporters in their efforts to assist others in this time of need,” notes NARHA Executive Director, Sheila Kemper Dietrich. “To have raised such an impressive sum is a testament to the dedication and passion those in the field of equine assisted activities have for the work done at our centers. We want to help ensure these centers can resume services as quickly as possible.” The NARHA Gulf Coast Hurricane Assistance Fund will help to provide horse care, rent or mortgage assistance and utilities assistance to centers which have experienced undue financial hardship, loss of revenue and expenses as a result of this year’s hurricanes.
For more information about the fund or to contribute, please contact NARHA at 800-369-7433.
About NARHA:
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association was formed in 1969 to promote equine assisted activities for individuals with special needs. At over 700 member centers, a total of 36,000 children and adults find a sense of independence through involvement with horses. These member centers range from small, one-person programs to large operations with several instructors and therapists. In addition to horseback riding, a center may offer any number of equine activities such as driving, vaulting, trail riding, competition, ground work, or stable management. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association helps individuals start and maintain successful riding programs. There are more than 24,000 volunteers, 2000 instructors, 5,700 therapy horses, and thousands of contributors from all over the world helping people at NARHA centers.
Reader Comments
Be the first to submit a comment on this article!
Submit your comments
Link to this article
---------------------- It's easy! Just copy code below and paste into your webpage --------------------
<a href="http://www.equestrianmag.com/article/north-american-riding-handicapped-association-hurricanes-assist-1205.html">The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association Raises Nearly $50,000 to Assist Its Centers Affected by This Year’s Hurricanes</a> ~ EquestrianMag.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your link will appear like this:
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association Raises Nearly $50,000 to Assist Its Centers Affected by This Year’s Hurricanes ~ EquestrianMag.com
|
