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Community Corner

Lehigh Equestrian Academy Project Volunteer orentation

Why we need Volunteers:



Volunteers are
an essential part of LEAP without them our program cannot run. We need
sometimes up to three volunteers per participant one horse handler, and two
side walkers.



Volunteering at
LEAP is more than just donating your time; it is helping people with
disabilities achieve things they may have never thought was possible until they
rode a horse. You can help these individuals accomplish their goals and allow
them to build self-confidence. To volunteer at LEAP you do not need to have any
experience working with horses or individuals with disabilities, we can train
you to volunteer here.

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Volunteers can
benefit by learning new skills, working with horses and individuals with
disabilities. Excellent resume builder and community service hours. Be part of
a fun, positive, and rewarding experience. We are looking for volunteers who
are committed and are reliable, willing to learn, can follow LEAP policies and
procedures, and be kind and respectful to other.



Volunteers are
need for all different things at LEAP if you are not interested, or feel you
can better benefit LEAP in a different way than helping out in lessons, we are
always looking for help anyway we can get it. Please let us know if you have
any special skills that you feel can benefit our program.  

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LEAP
Volunteer Orientation Saturday, Oct 26 2013 10am-1pm



Please RSVP to
Kelsey you can call or Text at 267-226-8616 or e-mail at Krepsch@gmail.com

WHAT IS LEAP

Mission Statement:

The mission of Lehigh
Equestrian Academy Project is improve the lives of people with cognitive,
physical, emotional, and behavioral disabilities through the benefits of
therapeutic horseback riding, and other equine- assisted therapies.

Who do we serve?

       
We serve people of all ages and backgrounds, from children to adults. We
plan on helping veterans in the near future. The participants have varying
degrees of disabilities such as cognitive, physical, physiological, and
behavioral, and sometimes multiple disabilities. LEAP is designed to assist and
benefit people with a wide range of disabilities.

What is therapeutic riding, and how
does it help individuals with disabilities?

Therapeutic
riding is when the movement and interaction of a horse is used to help
individuals with disabilities in different ways. It helps individuals with
physical disabilities because a horse has a three dimensional gait that mimics
the human walk. This improves on the riders balance, core strength, flexibility,
muscle tone, posture, and coordination. This can promote independent in
everyday tasks and can help a participant become more independent. It can help
individuals with sensory issues since the horse can provide a sensory input
that some participants need and allow them to learn while they are getting a
positive sensory input from the horse. Emotionally it can help overcome fears,
anxiety, and greatly improve on individual’s self-confidence. Cognitively it
can allow individuals to focus, and be able to concentrate more, and learn
letter, number, and sentence structure since this can will be incorporated
while riding a horse. This improves everyday life for individuals by allowing
them to focus more in school, and can improve grades and life skills. It also
has a social aspect and allows participants to interact with individuals with
similar disabilities, and learn different social skills. No one feels like they
are different when they are here everyone feels accepted and special,
therapeutic riding changes life for the better.





We look
forward to seeing you on Saturday, Oct 26th 2013 at 10 am.



 



Please visit our website for more information and
more ways to help LEAP www.leapriding.org

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