Centaur Stride started out as a solution to several problems, one being the lack of services for people with neuromuscular disabilities. I worked in the schools as a Physical Therapist, so I knew first-hand that there were not enough services or therapists or insurance allowance or money to meet the needs of this population, specifically the movement needed for development and health, and prevention of secondary complications. I also must admit that initially I never thought about what happens when children are out of school and no longer receive the services they do get in their educational plan. (It is much harder to care for and lift adults than it is to lift children!) I recruited many of my friends to help start Centaur Stride.

It was one of those things that was just too huge to undertake without a lot of help and strong faith that there was a supreme entity directing my path, but it was a discovery that I could not keep secret! What if it was my child? And as a school therapist, I felt invested in their health and development, as if they were my children.

Although many of the seminars I attended taught grant writing and made it sound like it was a sure thing, in truth, it is a highly skilled profession that I still have not mastered. The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation have often given us grants. Located on the Sherman-Westfield line, we provide services to both North and South County residents.

Many people think we are entirely grant funded, but most grants do not cover operating expenses, which is the greatest part of our budget. Since our goal is to keep our fees to a minimum so that more people can experience the healing and teaching powers of horses, we rely mostly on fundraisers, donations and volunteers to meet our operational expenses. We have no paid administrative staff. Our Board of Directors are all volunteers and work hard to meet these financial needs. Many of our board members have children with disabilities, so like me, are very dedicated to making this service and our programs available to as many people as

possible.

The benefits of therapy horses are so powerful that the effects often last longer than traditional therapy. That’s because the horse stimulates and coordinates many systems in the body at one time through a dynamic rhythmic movement pattern that replicates normal human movement of the pelvis and elicits automatic reactions in the rest of the body. That is very hard to replicate in any other setting or with any other therapeutic tool. I have never witnessed anything better for people with movement disorders. The list of benefits keeps getting longer, but we see it firsthand and that is a powerful motivator!

We have yet to achieve sustainability.

We ask that you join our campaign and help us raise the funds we need for another successful year. Please donate to our upcoming Walk-a-thon Fundraiser, Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Chautauqua Mall, or donate online at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/peer-to-peer/centaur-strides-

16th-annual-walk-a-thon. The Zeffy site is very secure and free for non-profits such as Centaur Stride. However, you must set the preset fee to other and enter zero to avoid the fee.

Centaur Stride is a therapeutic and recreational facility that is inclusive, integrated for people with and without disabilities, and founded on the healing power of horses and nature to enhance overall well-being of mind

and body.