in Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, Southgate, West Grey
September 28, 2023
BY JOHN BUTLER — “Hope is all we really have,” says Kim Reain, Development Officer for Hope Haven Therapeutic Riding Centre, a 142 acre facility located near the rim of the Beaver Valley in Grey Highlands. The concept of hope underlies a free public presentation she will make on Wednesday, October 11 at 2:00 pm in the Kimberley Community Hall, 235309 Grey Road 13 in Kimberley (doors open at 1:30 pm). The event, open to everyone, is sponsored by the Grey Highlands Probus Club in cooperation with the Kimberley Community Association, the Grey Highlands Public Library and the Grey Highlands Museum.
Kim’s talk, entitled “Making Hope Happen”, will focus on Hope Haven and the work it does by using specially trained horses to provide adaptive and therapeutic riding experiences for children and adults with diverse needs and disabilities. But it will be driven by her own experience as mother of her youngest daughter, now twelve years old, who has special needs. Kim’s professional background lies in the worlds of business development and sales. But once she and the rest of her family became engaged in helping and supporting her daughter, Kim entered the world of families of children with special needs and fundraising for Hope Haven.
“It has been life transforming,” says Kim. “Special needs parents do everything under the sun to help their children. They are resilient investigators, problem solvers and fighters. These parents recognize that helping their children is the most important work they will ever do. They are unstoppable. And hope spurs them on.”
Kim and her family moved from Toronto to Craigleith in 2019. “We moved here before it became the cool thing to do,” says Kim with a laugh.
Kim was successful in her business positions, but she felt an urge to move into work where she could make a tangible difference in the lives of struggling families. When the position of Development Officer at Hope Haven came up she jumped at the chance to apply, and she started working there in February of this year.
Kim points out that Hope Haven is a registered charity that depends on fundraising for most of its revenue. Her job involves creating fundraising opportunities, pursuing grants, creating links to other resources, and helping the community to appreciate the benefits of serving as a Hope Haven donor and volunteer. One highly successful recent fundraising event was its Hope Haven Hoedown held on September 16, which involved live music, line dancing, a fine food experience, mechanical bull riding and a host of other ranch-themed activities. The facility also benefits greatly from contributions from corporate sponsors, including Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Hydro One. Kim also credits Ontario Power Generation (Eugenia Station) and Community Foundation Grey-Bruce for its support. Money raised goes largely to programming and facility improvement. There is no mortgage or high rental fee for Hope Haven to pay for the property, because a wealthy benefactor, when Hope Haven was established in 2009, saw its importance, purchased the property, and makes it available to Hope Haven as a home for its barn, two arenas (one of which also houses the administrative office), its paddocks and a sensory enriching riding trail.
She points out that her Kimberley talk on October 11 isn’t a fundraising event. “I’m just happy to tell people what we do and why we do it, and to share the joy and hope that surround our work,” she says. This joy includes the contributions of fifty volunteers, who supplement the work of Hope Haven’s twelve staff in serving Hope Haven’s annual service roster of four hundred clients. “Most of our volunteers are directly involved with our clients and our horses,” says Kim, who points out that every client riding a horse (at walking pace) is accompanied by a person leading the horse and by two people, one on each side, for the protection of the client. These “guardians” are often volunteers. And whether a volunteer has only a few hours a month to give or many, Hope Haven can find them a rewarding task — and folks don’t need prior experience with horses before becoming Hope Haven volunteers.
Kim, who confesses to being an animal lover, says her involvement with horses dates back to her daughter’s first therapeutic riding experiences in Stouffville in 2016. The opportunity to be close to these magnificent animals, and close to nature at the same time, has made therapeutic riding a win-win for mother and daughter. She explains that Hope Haven’s twelve horses are specially chosen and trained so they are comfortable being led in the arena or on a trail, and remain serene even when carrying an active or boisterous client.
The shortage of resources for individuals with diverse needs and disabilities in this part of Ontario is a real concern. Hope Haven has seen the demand grow exponentially since the pandemic, and they expect the request for services will continue to grow. This is in part due to resource shortage and because therapeutic riding is increasingly showing its effectiveness in helping people with physical, emotional and mental health.
Kim believes that each one of Hope Haven’s four hundred clients has their own story — a story of hope, resilience and growth. She hopes to help audience members on October 11 to see the world through the eyes of these clients. After that, you will never see horses, or people with special needs, the same way again.
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