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Hello All,
Well the horses are sure happy to be basking in the sun and filling their bellies with green grass here at the farm.
 As you all know it has been a world wind of events here in May and we have so much to share. We would encourage you all to take a peek at our new website as we continue to make updates, you can find us at www.heartsandhoovescanada.org. If you by accident type in our old Edmonton website address – it is now redirected to go to our link just mentioned.
With good weather and our wonderful new truck we have been busy visiting as many folks as possible and are looking forward to the busy months ahead. I have attached our calenders and hope we will see you all very soon. Please check your availability and RSVP me. Should you have any questions you know I am easiest to reach via email.
In June we of course have our Hearts & Hooves Hoopla on the 19th, you would have all received an invitation. Please join us in celebrating you and all our other wonderful volunteers. We are still looking for wonderful volunteers to help lend a hand with getting things ready here as well as oversee and organize some of our activities. Watch for emails coming soon listing our areas of need to make the big event a success.
 In June we are especially in need of help through the 10th to the 27th as our beloved Chantel will be away and I am flying solo so far on all the visits so please consider signing up to join me on some visits your help would be muchly appreciated.For those of you who can not open the calender I have listed below some brief descriptions of dates and events, just contact me if you’d like to know more.
June 8 Visit
June 9 Visit in Sherwood Park
June 10 Josephburg Chicken Dinner – we will be taking the horses to interact – the event is in the evening and we sure could use lots of hands.
June 11 Grade 9 Students visiting the farm for the day
June 13 Ophelia’s Girls Group and Farm Day all here at the Farm
June 14 We are doing the Stollery Walk for Miracles again a big day where we need lots of help.
June 15 2 visits
June 16 2 visits
June 18 2 visits
June 19 a full day of help is appreciated to get ready for H&H Hoopla in the evening
June 22 Visit in the afternoon
June 23 Visit in the Park
June 27 Farm Morning and visit in the park
Above and beyond we have some summer projects under way – all which include manual labour – hard work but rewarding. If you are interested you know how to reach me.
Wishing you all the very best..from all of us here
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Farm Update
The horses are hairy and healthy, but cold and eagerly waiting for their long break to be over. Certainly come summer when they are shuffling from one visit to another they will miss their long lazy days.
We are so very happy to report that our third stall was put in with the wonderful expert help of Aaron Nield who dedicated his day to welding and customizing the stall to fit our needs. Thank you Aaron! My Dad, Layton, and JD, finished up the small details and we are proud to say we now have 3 stalls for all our little horses.
Come Spring and Summer we will look to put in some cabinets, additional shelving, and to do some painting and cleaning to have the barn in tip top shape.
As most of you know here at the farm Abby is gone from us and I assure you all, you will notice her absence when you visit us at the farm. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, pictures, and consideration during this very hard time.
Another one of our 4-leggers fell ill – Mable.
Mable the pig has been sick and was suffering from many aliments but thanks to our wonderful Vets Dr. Carrol and Dr. Santarossa who did extra research to find solutions we see Mable is improving daily and we hope to have her happy and hairy by May when she moves back to Kipnes Seniors Centre for the summer.
Truck Update
As all of you know we have been dealing with problems regarding the truck we purchased at Welcome Ford. The truck was returned to the dealership in early December and we have had to cancel many of our events and have had to borrow and rent trucks since.
I am most pleased to report that finally, Welcome Ford has refunded us the $22,000 paid for the truck.
We would like to extend a most genuine thank you to Erin Harrison at Global TV Trouble Shooters for pursuing the story and on several occasions dealing with the Dealership to find a resolution.
We would like to thank Brownlee LLP’s, Bruce and Angela, for finding the time and taking our legal case into account in assisting us to find resolution and for their support to do so free of charge.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Hearts & Hooves Board Members for their enduring attention to the long standing problems surrounding resolution of this matter.
Furthermore I’d like extend thanks to each and everyone of you who stood by with hope and support as we struggled to deal with the problems.
With that said I wish to report that Hearts & Hooves has committed to purchase a brand new F150 from Zarwony’s Motors in St. Paul. Our new truck is the same color as our horse trailer, and it is a crew cab with lots of room for our ever growing volunteers.
Dave and Amanda at Zarwony’s Motors have really done a stand up job to make the purchasing of a truck a positive experience especially after all we have been through. It was decided after all our problems with a used truck which proved to be both unsuitable and mechanically unsound we felt we should look at the longevity of Hearts & Hooves needs and buy a new truck. Zarwony Motors helped us by offering us this new truck at $34,000. We have been busy resourcing on our end to make up the difference of money needed. To date, as of March 9, 2009 we have the following support;
Allied Furniture $400.00
Strathcona County $500.00
Dow Chemical Canada $500.00
Apro Group $300.00
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Sherwood Park Rotary |
$900.00 |
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Imperial Foundation |
$800.00 |
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Guardian Chemicals |
$200.00 |
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St. Josaphat’s Senior’s Centre |
$100.00 |
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Penn West Energy Trust Fund |
$500.00 |
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Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation |
$1000.00 |
Horizon’s Seniors Grant $4000.00
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SHELL Canada |
$2000.00 |
The Stollery Charitable Foundation $10,000.00
Fund-raised $3995.00
We have raised $27,700 to date
To have our new truck at the farm we need to raise an additional $8300
To have our new truck ready for the road with decals, mud flaps, mats, seat covers, hitch and ball, and insurance we need to raise a total of $12,000
I am working hard to find partners and supporters to help us get our truck here, and to have it ready for our scheduled 45 visits planned and promised to people in our community. I invite all of you to join in and help us reach this goal. $12,000 is a lot of money but so was $27,700 and we were able to do that together, so let’s put our minds together on this one and find a way to get this truck paid for by April 30th.
Should you have an idea, a suggestion, a plan, please email me and we will look to have a meeting of the minds and resources this coming month.
Coming Events and Plans
Other good news to report is that we have 45 visits booked already for the spring and summer months. We have applied for funding to hire two University students to keep up with all the work. As well our beloved Ellen Alanko has agreed to another summer job with Hearts & Hooves.
We have long since had many ideas on the back burner to talk about and again I propose you take the the time to come to the Farm on Thursday, March 19th to talk about events we are planning, and new ideas, as well as areas of growth and development. Please RSVP me directly via email to let me know if you are coming on the 19th. Thank you.
Things to consider;
· Our friend Susan is looking for some key helpers to help put together a Volunteer Appreciation BBQ/ Barn Party this summer.
· Sally, our virtual wonder, who does our website and much, much more is really needing help here on this end to get current information and pictures to finish our website.
· Lindsay who is organizing and planning an Open House for our fantastic Vets at West Wind Veterinary Hospital really would appreciate some individuals who could give some of their time in April to represent Hearts & Hooves.
· We have long since entertained having our 1st Annual Barn Party and as such we would like to see if we could get together some of you who would look to organize and set this up so we can invite our volunteers, partners, and sponsors who have made our Hearts & Hooves barn possible.
· Brenda, our buddy, has looked a bit into throwing a Concert or hosting an event with possibly Johnny Reid and/or Wayne Lee. We all think this would be wonderful but we would ask for some party planners and organizers to jump on in to take this idea to the next level.
· Jill has the makings for planning our 1st Annual Fund Raising Trail Ride and Walk but needs some horsey people’s help.
· March 28th we are at the Bruderheim Tack Sale and will be taking horses, information, and small items to sell as part of raising awareness and fund raising at a local community event. Helpers are wanted for the day.
· In May we will be doing the Walk/Run for Life (aka The Mayor’s Run) in Sherwood Park as a fund raiser and are looking for some keen people to oversee the pre-planning. We will be taking the horses for the day of the walk.
· May 24th we are attending the Horse Showcase at The Futonvale Arena. This year we would like to have a tent area for seniors visiting the event. We want to offer this area free of cost to seniors whom we invite from care centers to join us and enjoy a restful, shaded place to watch the events, relax, and visit. We are looking for keen team players to come up with ways we can partner with local stores to borrow things specific to the comfort of the seniors on this day. We will also be having a table where we will be selling stuffed horses and such as a fund raiser. So lots of helpers are wanted and needed to make this all possible.
· As spring comes I really need a hand with cleaning, painting, and of course body clipping horses. As well we need to give the Rec Building a face lift by redoing the inside to accommodate office space.
· A special job for a special person – A computer whiz to set up computer, fax, and printer in the barn – and install programs and transfer information.
· Someone to help take and share pictures to update the website and send it to Sally
· Assistance with Volunteer Activities, planning, and events.
There is always so much going on here I know I have a hard time keeping you all informed but this should help give everyone ideas as to what is coming up and some areas that might interest you all.
March Events
Please note we will not be attending the rodeo in Camrose this month. In consideration of the weather we will aim to have Farm Nights here on;
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Thursday – March 19th – Planning Meeting
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Friday – March 27th – Work with horses and pack for event
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Saturday – March 28th – Tack Sale Bruderheim – ALL Day
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Please RSVP if you are planning to come – should you have any questions please email me.
I will be meeting with many of you throughout the month regarding the many events planned and should you have intrest in any of the upcoming events and or creative ideas please email me and I would be most happy to include you in the meetings we are having through out the month.
Thank you
WISH LIST
I have made a Wish List starting with small items all the way to huge projects for this coming spring. Should any of these appeal to you or should you have one such item and wish to donate it we appreciate it.
Wish List
· Kettle (electric)
· Microwave
· Hay
· Straw
· Wood Chips
· Shampoo
· Conditioner
· Hose Nozzle
· Bleach
· Lysol
· Old Dish clothes or rags
· Old towels
· Bug Spray
· Water Cooler or Bottled Water for volunteers use
· Marshmallows
· Plastic cups, plates, utensils
· Automatic Waterer for horses
· Lap top Computer
Wishing you all well, with lots of love and warmth all of us here at the farm.
Best Wishes – Michelle
Since 2007 Hearts & Hooves has relied on borrowing and renting a truck and as you can imagine this has been very hard and is greatly effecting our ability to do our visits. We were so pleased when The Stollery Foundation had given us a conditional grant for $10,000 if we could match that amount before September 15th.
This spring and summer our family of Hearts and Hooves volunteers have held several fundraisers
- two pancake breakfasts with Saffron and the Rotary at Salisbury Greenhouse
- a chilli fundraiser
- hosted two BBQ’s one at Wal-Mart and the other at The Horse Showcase
- spent two days selling mini donuts at Wal-Mart
- we have done a bottle drive and several promotional tables at horse shows
- At Christmas we handmade ornaments and asked for sponsorships as part of our ‘Gift of Love’ campaign.
At this point we are close to our goal of $20,000. Though we need your help to reach our goal, and everything hinges upon the success of us being able to get to and from our visits.
We have partnered with Welcome Ford as they promise to help us by enabling our hard earned $20,000 to purchase a newer F250 or F350, gas, 4×4 Crew Cab to pull our horse trailer to and from our hundreds of visits per year and tote around our many youth volunteers.
As you know Hearts & Hooves, is a federally registered charitable organization, we operate in part as a rescue organization for Miniature horses, though we focus our initiatives on providing Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy to children with special needs, youth at risk, and seniors in care centres and hospitals. Hearts & Hooves is made up of a family of volunteers, a large majority who are youths and has been in operation since 2004 thanks to yours and others continued belief in our programs and initiatives.
If you would like to help us reach our goal please contact us or send donations in Hearts & Hooves name. Every donation counts, each dollar gets us closer to our truck.Tax receipts will be issued for all donations. We are so appreciative of your support and we just know we can do this. Thank you for helping us help others. We hope that with your endorsement and support we can visit more children, reach more lives, share more laughter, and love by bringing our little horses places they are needed for many, many years to come.
To learn more about what Hearts & Hooves is doing in your community keep reading.. there are some amazing programs happening.
Currently Hearts & Hooves has many new and exciting programs underway and in development and they are;
Horse, Health, and Harmony Initiative – focuses on including mini horses in the daily lives of seniors in long term care facilities through daily visits, the horses living acentresenters, and specialized programs coordinated with Recreational Staff, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapists in the benefit of improving the quality of life for senior residents in care.
- For the past 2 summers we have had 2 horses living at The Kipnes Seniors Center for Veterans in the Northside of Edmonton. The seniors there are actively involved in the care of the horses and the horses come indoors to visit the seniors several times a week. This program is the first of it’s kind in the world. Maybe you should say Canada – do we know that it is the only one like it in the “world” – Have you researched the entire world?
- We are very excited to report that Hearts & Hooves is actively creating a Research Study with the Capital Care Foundation to research the benefits and improvement of the quality of life for seniors with dementia and Alzheimers in care centers as a result of the interaction with Equine Guided Activities. Do you need permission from the designer of Equine guided Activities to use her terminology? We will be working alongside the Recreational Staff, Physical, and Occupational Therapists, and with the families of the seniors involved.
Spirit Quest Program – success orientated program that helps youth who have histories of abuse and have been involved with the law by incorporating the youths in volunteer activities and visits with the Hearts & Hooves mini horses. Hearts & Hooves Spirit Quest Program focuses on helping youth discover parts of themselves through interacting with miniature horses, seniors in care at a long-term care facility.
- Hearts & Hooves has submitted a grant to the Federal Government through The Horizon Program for seniors and is awaiting word on the success of our application for our Horses, Health, and Harmony Initiative, so we can sustain the Spirit Quest Program while involving seniors from 8 various centers to have a minimum of 5 visits sponsored a year. As part of this program we will be involving youth at risk as part of giving and getting love and acceptance in a truly unique form.
REACH OUT Program – goal orientated therapy based programs for children with special needs in Edmonton and area schools. Hearts & Hooves Reach Out Program provides social, motivational, educational, therapeutic, and recreational incentives and benefits to already existing programs and goals.
- Hearts & Hooves is very pleased to announce that we have received grants from The Edmonton Oilers, Dow Chemical Canada , Agruim, The County Clothes Line Foundation, and Wal-Mart which will fund 17 visits in and around Edmonton to classrooms for children with Special Needs. Hearts & Hooves will work closely with Teachers and various other professionals to develop individualized and purposeful visits to meet the needs of those we are visiting.
Horse N Around Program – Hearts & Hooves Youth Volunteer program meets to help with the care and rescue of the horses, fundraising initiatives, and many other meaningful and engaging goal orientated tasks at the farm. The youth in the program also act as handlers on all the weekend visits as well as the Day Programs hosted for groups at the farm. Our Youth Volunteers are an integral part of our visits in the community. We believe that our youth volunteers have the opportunity to engage in meaningful participation, we encourage civic engagement, building positive relationships, fostering work experience and life skills, while finding self worth and responsibility.
- Our volunteer program continues to grow as we are looking to attain means to support hiring a volunteer coordinator or a youth coordinator who will increase our volunteer programs to include 2 meetings a week for youths between 13 and 18 years of age.
Hearts & Hooves continues to provide simple and fun loving visits indoors to hospitals, palliative care units, dementia care placements, and seniors centers.
Hearts & Hooves continues to help miniature horses through means of rescue, ongoing care, adoption, and through advocating for them. Since 2004 we have rescued, rehabilitated, cared for, and adopted out 24 mini horses. Hearts & Hooves currently has 9 horses at the farm.
Hearts & Hooves offers Level I and Level II Workshops to teach the principles, guidelines, theories, and hands on training of Equine Guided Activities and Interactions with miniature horses indoors as part of therapy programs and holds training sessions 3 times a year.
Hearts & Hooves publishes educational and informational material to share with others on Human and Horse relationships with the intent to increase awareness of Equine Guided Programs as well as advocate for the proper care and treatment of horses. Hearts & Hooves has 3 Children’s Story books which we hope to publish as a means of advocacy and fundraising.
- Hearts and Hooves Canada
HEARTS & HOOVES CANADA is a charity that rescues, heals, teaches, and loves miniature horses. We bring the little horses indoors to people who need therapeutic healing. Hearts and Hooves Edmonton is located just minutes outside of the city at Blackwater Ridge Farm
