On behalf of all the people whose lives are touched
by LifeStriders - THANK YOU. Because of the dedication of the organization’s 150+ volunteers and your generous support, this year LifeStriders provided over 1200 Equine Assisted Therapy lessons to over 70 individuals with special needs (4000 lessons since opening in 2005). LifeStriders had an exciting year in 2008 implementing additional programs including:

• Counseling services for individuals, children and families
• Social Skills Programs, which help children with autism or social emotional impairments increase social awareness
• Youth Programs that support interpersonal skills development, community service, drop-out prevention and occupational skills

LifeStriders is a non-proft organization that is nationally registered and certified through the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. As a 501(c)3 charity, we rely heavily on donations to support our Therapeutic Riding Center and its variety of programs. Donations from this campaign will be used towards program development, rider scholarships, purchasing supplies and maintaining the LifeStriders facilities.

Serving children, adults and seniors with a wide variety of physical, cognitive and psychological challenges, LifeStriders provides therapeutic services that go above and beyond traditional therapies. By focusing on individual strengths that help each client reach their goals, LifeStriders offers services in a fun, holistic and experiential paradigm. Miracles happen at LifeStriders, when after weeks of therapy a 7 year old child speaks his first words or an adult debilitated by Muscular Dystrophy gains the strength to be able to sit up straight on her horse and transfer more independently to her wheelchair.

LifeStriders is approaching our fifth year of providing life-enhancing physical and psychological experiences and services to individuals with special needs. The organization is excited about the year ahead but we need your help. On behalf of the children and families that LifeStriders serve, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and we thank you again for your generous support.

Sincerely,
The LifeStriders Team



"Through your support, Kathryn is a child of growing abilities, not limiting disabilities. This was Kathryn’s first year with LifeStriders. Through horse therapy, Kathryn gained the physical ability to ride a bike and her confidence increased exponentially.”

Click the Picture above for the Party Photo Album

When Friday’s rain clouds parted, the sky opened its windows again to let the sun shine on LifeStriders for another Open House and Volunteer Appreciation Party on Saturday Oct 18th. The morning sponsors, and group, were treated to a horse show given by our Saturday participants and their instructors. No one will soon forget Rinni‘s crowd appreciation, Emily’s elation, Kendall’s and Benjamin’s smiles, Matthew’s curiosity, Casey’s elation, Grace’s poise, and all the riding skills the riders showcased for the judges and community.

The silent auction, and Santo spots raffle were successful and the proceeds will all be used to continue to provide LifeStriders services to the community.

In the afternoon the Wooden Bridges Band kicked off the party with some good old fashioned farm bluegrass, while Kevin DeMaster and his Bible Study Group provided the delicious BBQ to everyone at the party. Dancing, roasting marshmallows, and reminiscing about the year at LifeStriders were the afternoon events of choice. It takes 2-3 volunteers for every rider to ride, and lifeStriders gives over 1200 1 hour lessons/year – you do the math, that’s a lot of volunteers, hours, and generosity that LifeStriders is grateful for.

Somewhere in the middle of all the fun, Veronica gave out the distinguished presidential service awards to an impressive 19 volunteers this year. She also gave out this year’s LifeStriders of the Year awards to two very deserving individuals:

LifeStrider of the Year - Carly Churches - Thank you Carly for your beautiful spirit. It has been a very tough year for you, but your spirit and never give up attitude continue to shine through. We are all behind you and will continue to support you through this difficult time in your life. You are an inspiration to all who know you, and we are very proud of your personal LifeStrides this year.

LifeStriders Volunteer of the Year - Heike Stimson – Many people have helped to take LifeStriders to new heights, but few have put in as much time and effort as Heike (and Sara). LifeStriders recognizes you this year as recipients of this prestigious award, and wishes you success wherever life takes you. Know that you are always welcome here at LifeStriders.

This year LifeStriders had a lot of help with the event, and there are many people to thank for making this such a great party:

The Horse Show - Amanda Rector, Jay Moore, Jessica Morrison and Lori Voecks – With all of your help Amanda and Jay ran an outstanding set of Saturday lessons and horse show that produced smiles on everyone there and became the centerpiece of the event. The two of you have been an incredible addition to LifeStriders, and the organization is consistently getting compliments on your dedicaton, skill, and thoughtful empathetic teaching style.

Event Director - Barb Abair who prepared the Silent Auction and Grounds and provided vision and direction for the entire event.

Board of Directors – Dixon Benz, Barb Abair, Veronica Sosa, Carl Barkow, Rob Conley

The Clean Up and Setup Crew – Becky Manke, Tracee and Jenna Neumann, Kristen Layo, Natalie Lirette, Nicole Sniedinger, Randy Raikes, Bob and Lisa Conley, Nicole Carlin, Jim Carlin, Merrill and Raven Baum and many more! Keeping up a horse farm and preparing the grounds for an event of this size is not a small task and we could not have done it without you.

The Band – The Wooden Bridges Band – Perfect music for the occasion (and one mean polka!)

The Band Sponsor – Brynn and Mawr Lawn Service – Thanks for making the band possible for this event!

The Food – (I am going to miss a couple here because a lot of people brought extra food) Doug Fernal, Kevin DeMaster, Sarah Knowles, Betsy Martel, Sharon Neidinger, Julie Holloway, Lori Narloch, Becky Make, Tracee and Jenna Neumann. The menu for breakfast and lunch was enjoyed by all and LifeStriders is very appreciative to everyone who helped prepare the delicious food that was served during the day.

Parking Grilling and Grounds – Kevin DeMaster, Bob Drida, Dan Sweeny, Ken Vogel, Doug Fernel, and Ken Harland. You all were a godsend and made the event possible. Special thanks go to Kevin DeMaster for organizing his Bible Study Group and to Doug Fernel for his generosity with the food and equipment.

Hostesses – Lynn Wellhausen, Jamie Gierczak, Nicole Carlin, Sara Stimson – Your smiles and availability for questions about LifeStriders helped to inform the community about this incredible organization.

LifeStriders has received a great number of compliments on the event, about the volunteers, the participants, the horses, and about LifeStriders in general. If you attended the event we hope that you enjoyed yourself and got a chance to learn more about what LifeStriders is and what it means to the families it serves. If you would like to learn more or find out how you can help, feel free to contact us anytime.

We are working with a new horse to see if she will work out at LifeStriders.  She seems to have made a big hit with Oscar and the rest of the boys.  Thanks Bonnie, Mike and Monica for dropping her by today.  See addditional photos here.

Over the course of a year, the cost of feed, shavings, hoof care, standard veterinary care, and other expenses for our program horses add up to over $3,000 per horse. We therefore invite you to partner with LifeStriders in the care of our amazing therapy horses, and sponsor a LifeStriders horse! Click HERE to download a Sponsor Form! (PDF format)

For Your Annual Donation:
* Certificate of Sponsorship with a picture of your horse (See Meet the Horses)
* A tax deductible donation receipt
* Your name engraved in brass on the stall door
* Personalized periodic updates on your horse
* Recognition in LifeStriders publications

Your support will enable the organization to continue providing high quality care for the LifeStriders horses, while keeping the cost of lessons and therapy as low as possible for our riders. Sponsorships are available to individuals, companies, clubs, or any other organization.

Interested parties should contact Veronica Sosa at 262.565.6124 or fill out the form and mail it to LifeStriders and we will contact you. Thanks for your support!

If you have been around LifeStriders this summer you have no doubt has the pleasure to meet Jay Moore, as he trained for his NARHA certification to teach therapeutic riding. Jay brings a lifetime of equestrian experience to LifeStriders and we are blessed to have him as a part of our program. Jay has been active in 4H since he was born, and has been working with horses and farm animals ever since.

Last weekend, Jay completed NARHA's rigorous certification and educational process and is now fully certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association(NARHA) to teach therapeutic riding.

Having grown up across the street from LifeStriders , Jay is committed to the LifeStriders community and truly enjoys enabling others to enjoy the pleasures and benefits of equestrian therapeutic lessons. When you see Jay, please congratulate him, and thank him for his dedication to serving his community.

Please Join me in congratulating Amanda Rector on her recent completion of the rigorous NARHA certification program last weekend. She has passed the national tests and is now fully certified as a therapeutic riding instructor.

We first met Amanda in the early spring this year, as she showed interest in Volunteering at LifeStriders. Amanda is an elementary school teacher who grew up around horses in Nebraska, and found herself here in Wisconsin looking to help serve her new community.

After volunteering a few times, Amanda was very quick to catch on to teaching therapeutic riding at LifeStriders and she has quickly become a class favorite among her students. It's obvious that Amanda has excellent skills in teaching riding, but it's her compassion for the riders and giving spirit that make her such a valuable asset at LifeStriders.

The next time you see Amanda, please congratulate her on her achievment and thank her for her commitment to serving her community.

Fall Session Starts September 9th!

LifeStriders Therapeutic Riding Session and will run for 9 weeks starting on Tuesday, September 9th until November 8th. The current schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays- 4pm class & 5pm class (Therapeutic Riding Only)
Wednesdays- 4pm class & 5pm class (Therapeutic Riding Only)
Thursdays- 4pm class & 5pm class (Therapeutic Riding Only)
Saturdays- 9am, 10am, 11 am classes (Therapeutic Riding Only)

If your child was enrolled in the summer session you do not need to register for the summer session as they have the exact same riding days and times assigned to them for the fall session.

In addition to the therapeutic riding program LifeStriders offers additional family support services:

**Low cost & sliding scale counseling services for individuals, children and families offered by Veronica Sosa Agnoli, M.S. School Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor (training through UW-Madison)

**Educational counseling and consulting services specializing in special education. Helping parents work in collaboration with schools and representing families in IEP/504 meetings.

**LifeStriders Social Skills Program (will resume in the spring of 2009)
These fun and interactive groups are designed for children ages 6-12 with challenges in the area of social-communication that affects the quality of their interpersonal relationships. The goals of the groups include increasing social awareness, understanding others peoples' perspectives, and understanding the impact of their own behavior on the impressions that other people form of them. It is a fun class for kids to learn the skills they need in building social connections. LifeStriders social skills classes will be held in a small group setting with individualized activities. Classes will be held on Mondays at 4 pm and 5pm. Both groups will be facilitated by Veronica Sosa Agnoli, MS. and Ann Treleven-Carl, LifeStriders social skills trainer. Limited spaces available.

PAYMENT POLICY: LifeStriders is a non-profit organization that is committed to offering accessible therapeutic services to our community. One of the ways we are able to keep our prices significantly below going rates is by minimizing accounting costs. LifeStriders charges $30.00/per therapeutic hour if paid in advance or $65.00/therapeutic hour if paid after September 16th. We ask that the entire therapeutic riding or social skills session ($270.00) be paid for in advance by sending a check (no cash) to our address before September 16, 2008. If your child is enrolled in the federally funded school lunch program (free lunch) they may be eligible to receive scholarship funding for services provided at LifeStriders. We must have the school's verification on file before July 14th in order to qualify.

Please feel free to email me or call us at 262-565-6124 if you would like to inquire about any of the services being offered at LifeStriders.

We thank you and look forward to working with you and your family!

Sincerely,

Veronica Sosa Agnoli, M.S.
Executive Director

Labels: Fall Session 2008

Thank you Bob and Lisa Conley for sponsoring Hazel this year. As you know LifeStriders depends on the generous donations from individuals like you to offer low cost riding lessons, programs, and services to the community. Your donation will be used to support the cost of keeping Hazel in the 2008-2009 season.

Bob and Lisa Conley are some of the original supporters of LifeStriders, generous annual donors to the organization, and often you will see them sidewalking and leading horses during weekly lessons.

On behalf of all the Volunteers, Participants, and Staff at LifeStriders - Thank You for your continued support and for choosing to Sponsor Hazel this year!

If you would like to sponsor a horse this year, please visit this post for instructions on how to do so.

Katlin Swanson has won the prestigious "Young Woman of Tomorrow Award" at the Women of Distinction Awards luncheon. As the recipient of this award, Katlin got to choose a charity to donate $500 to from the Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County and the Waukesha Community Foundation. Thankfully she chose LifeStriders as her charity.

Katlin was also a member of the DECA team that raised money through their Bash in the Grass efforts in 2006 for LifeStriders, and we appreciate all that she has done for LifeStriders. LifeStriders works because of its community support and the organization could not do it without you. On behalf of all the families, participants, and volunteers at LifeStriders - Thank you Katlin and Congratulations on being this year's "Woman of Tomorrow."