DAY OF GIVING TO BENEFIT CHARLOTTESVILLE AREA RIDING THERAPY
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - On Thursday, February 22, Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy (CART) will partner with Mudhouse Speciality Coffee Roasters (10th Street location) for a day of giving. A portion of the store’s sales will be donated to CART to support its therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted services programs for children and adults with special needs.
“We are thrilled Mudhouse Coffee is such an advocate of our work, and deeply appreciate their dedication to Charlottesville’s non-profit community in hosting fundraising days,” says Kim O’Donnell, Instructor. The broader community is invited to enjoy coffee, support a great cause, and meet Clyde, CART’s mascot. “We are grateful for donations that help us maintain the health of our equine team and provide scholarships for participants,” shares Sarah Daly, Program Director.
CART has been in operation for over 30 years and serves over 100 participants annually, with its team of 8 equine partners and MANY volunteers. Says Daly, “Volunteers are the key to our organization; without them, there wouldn’t be CART.” Hundreds of volunteer hours are dedicated as side walkers and horse leaders to maintain safety standards for each participant. Volunteers often say they benefit from CART as much as the riders - many also become invaluable members of CART’s barn and community outreach teams.
CART is a community of support for participants and quickly becomes a family affair. As one parent shares, “When you are riding a horse, you aren’t a disabled person; you are a horseback rider which requires a lot of attention to detail and many skill sets.” While riding develops core strength, balance, and flexibility, it is the communication, focus, patience, and confidence needed to interact with horses that become the key therapeutic benefits.
Equine Assisted Services (EAS) is an expanding industry with a building body of research validating the therapeutic benefit and impact of human-equine interaction. The International Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATHIntl.) has certified nearly 5,000 instructors and 300 Equine Specialists in Mental Health and Learning to support nearly 800 accredited member centers globally.
Learn more at http://www.cartcrozet.org/volunteer, follow on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or view Inside Out Charlottesville.
Award Winning Specialty Coffee
