MOUNT HOLLY, NC – It was announced last week during the Speedway Children’s Charities’ annual grant reception that one of the grantees receiving a portion of the $1,040,350 granted would be Mt. Holly based nonprofit Shining Hope Farms—a nonprofit that provides equine facilitated activities and therapies across their three locations in the western Piedmont region of North Carolina.
Speedway Children’s Charities has been a regular supporter of Shining Hope Farms, providing them with a grant for the past eight years. The grant will provided funds for the their Therapy Services Program, where occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language pathology professionals use the equine for a treatment strategy called Hippotherapy which engages sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to achieve functional outcomes. It is the only one of its kind in the Charlotte Metro area.
“Because most of our families never receive a bill from our Therapy Services Program, we are constantly trying to raise enough funds to make this possible.” said Milinda Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of Shining Hope Farms. “With this generous gift from Speedway Children’s Charities, this means we can concentrate on what we do best – helping children.”
The grant generously awarded by Speedway Children’s Charities will help Shining Hope Farms to serve 100+ children a week no matter what the family’s financial means are.
“We feel honored to have Speedway Children’s Charities supporting our work and the children we serve year after year,” says Milinda Kirkpatrick. “They are a vital asset in our community.”
About Shining Hope Farms
Shining Hope Farms is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enable children and adults to reach their full potential through the use of equine assisted activities and therapies. Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy utilizing equine movement as part of an integrated intervention to achieve functional outcomes offered as part of Shining Hope Farms’ Therapy Services Program, which includes physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment. Shining Hope Farms is the only facility offering this treatment strategy in the counties that they operate in. They are a Premier Accredited Center of PATH Intl. (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International) as well as the American Hippotherapy Association, and currently operate sites in Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Catawba Counties. There are 20+ horses, 2 miniature ponies, and 30+ staff members consisting of occupational and physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, PATH Intl. certified riding instructors, and administrative staff, plus many wonderful volunteers which make a well-rounded program. Shining Hope Farms is also a GuideStar Exchange Gold participant, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability among nonprofits. For more information, please visit our website at shininghopefarms.org or call 704-827-3788.
