We are so pleased to announce that Shining Hope Farms has received a grant from the Lincoln County Community Foundation to help create affordable access to equine assisted activities and therapies for Lincoln County participants.
It may come as a surprise to learn that we serve participants from 15 counties, Lincoln County being one of them. In Lincoln County, like in many counties, there is a high demand for equine assisted activities and therapies, and we are also acutely aware that these therapies are often financially out of reach for many families, including families that already have considerable expenses for other therapies and services. Our goal has always been to make our programs accessible and affordable to these families and the grant will help us in this endeavor. This is something we know is especially important for Lincoln County families.
This grant will help both our Therapy Services Program and our Therapeutic Riding Program. Our Therapy Services Program is a medical service in which licensed specially trained therapists provide physical, occupational, or speech-language therapy treatment utilizing equine movement as a treatment strategy (called Hippotherapy) as well as mental health counseling for appropriate candidates. Patients are treated in the farm environment as well as in our onsite clinics. The majority of these patients come for free. Our Therapeutic Riding program gives participants the opportunity to learn goal-oriented horseback riding lessons and horsemanship skills from a certified riding instructor. This program benefits riders physically, emotionally, socially, and cognitively.
We feel lucky to be a part of the record-breaking $33,595 in grants that were granted to 13 local projects – the largest annual grantmaking in the LCCF’s history.
The Lincoln County Community Foundation is a regional affiliate of Charlotte-based Foundation For The Carolinas. The grants were awarded by the LCCF’s local Board of Advisors as part of an annual grantmaking program. The Board of Advisors raised $10,000 to support this year’s grantmaking, thanks to an anonymous donor’s pledge to match up to $3,000 in contributions. This led to a record year of grantmaking for the foundation. The Lincoln County Community Foundation has invested more than $250,000 in projects and programs that have supported Lincoln County residents since 2002.