Thank you!!
Thank you to everyone who is helping us get our Fall Session underway!! We are so excited to welcome back two schools that we haven't seen since before COVID-19!! Yay! You all are awesome, and I appreciate everyone who is giving their time to SMILES.
Because of a few changes that occurred the first week of class, we have some updated classes where we need some extra help:
Monday 5:45: 1 Side walker needed (moderate physical support)
Monday 7:00: 1 Horse leader needed
Friday 10:45: 1 Horse leader needed
1 Side walker needed (minimal physical support)
Saturday 10:45: 1 Horse leader needed
Saturday 12:00: 1 Horse leader needed
**Saturday Volunteers** There are no classes on Saturday, October 23, due to the Miles for SMILES 5k. Join us for breakfast at the barn instead!
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Welcome New Volunteers!
We were able to welcome an impressive 12 new volunteers for the Fall Session! These volunteers have wonderful personalities, and we are so glad they have joined our team! Make sure you welcome them if you see them around the stable!
Christie Mandas
Makayla Kosmicki
Karen Elmer
Mark VanLaeys
Monica Uselding
Julie Longenecker
Frank Longenecker
Samantha Keegan
Kylie Smith
Hailey Ivins
Makenna Wittrock
Susan Matranga
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COVID-19 Updates!
At this time, SMILES is not making any changes to our current policy regarding COVID-19. We are continuing to follow CDC recommendations. If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please review the link below for the recommended action. As always, remember to contact staff if you are unable to make it to your scheduled class time. Thank you for your cooperation!
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Superstar Student Horse Show! |
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What a great day!!
It was a beautiful and fun day for the 2021 Superstar Student Horse Show!! Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who helped at this show!
Not only did we have a ton of help the day of the show, we also had many volunteers helping us the week prior so our facility was clean and the horses were shiny!! I'd like to take this time to shout out all of the volunteers who made the Superstar Student Horse Show possible!!!
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James Adkins
Maddie Bamford
Barb Bobbe
Kurtis Boss
Liz Boss & Glenn Boss
Alison Brown
Sue Daniels
Maureen Doheny
Joanie Dutton
Becky Dyckman
Jean & Ray Firn
Rita Grespan
Mark Hanson
Amanda Harder
Bonnie & Jim Hoover
Tiffany Howell
Norma Jann
Jenny Junghen
Jillian Kellen
Shawn Kemmer
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Julie Longenecker
Ken & Kathy Monestero
Tammie Mueller
Jan Mulligan
Alison Packard
Suzanne Peters
Lynne Peterson
Rox Prah
Kim Quick
Kathy Schmidt
Jean Schriever
Cindi Seichter
Kim Soeth
April Southwick
Greg Stevens
Marilyn Traver
Katie VanEgeren
Pat Walsh
Leslie Warnecke
Judy Wildermuth
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Here are some great pictures from the day! These are not all of the pictures that we have (we had many people taking pictures that day) but this is what we have so far. There are some GREAT pictures! Enjoy!!
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SMILES Website- For Volunteers! |
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Don't forget to bookmark the new SMILES Current Volunteers web page!! This is where you will find sign-up links, current volunteer opportunities, recent training videos, etc. Basically anything I include in the monthly newsletters will also be on this web page.
When you have a questions, please refer to this page first, and then contact me if you still need some information.
Save this link for future use!
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Rec ride for clients from Kandu Industries (5-6 clients will be attending)
Clients will rotate through 3 stations, each 30 minutes long.
Wednesday, October 20, 10:00am
Volunteers should arrive at 9:30am and will be done around 11:30am.
If you are interested in volunteering for this fun opportunity, please sign up using the link below.
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New Training Video- How to Correctly Turn your Horse!
In this month's training video, we wanted to address how to turn your horse when you have a rider on board. It's important that we are keeping both horse and rider balanced and comfortable when we are asking them to turn. If we turn too sharply, it can throw off the balance of the rider.
One quick tip to keep in mind is to always walk forward first, before asking your horse to turn. Think about it as if you were driving a semi- semi-drivers need to move forward first, then begin their turn so that they have enough room to make the arc through an intersection. When you are leading a horse, you'll want to move forward first, then try to make your turn as even as possible.
Watch the video below to see examples of how to correctly turn your horse in class.
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SMILES' YouTube Channel
Click the link below to subscribe to our YouTube channel!
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October Volunteer Spotlight |
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October Spotlight is.....Jean Schriever!!
How did you become involved with SMILES, and how long have you been volunteering?
I’m not sure how I became aware of SMILES but I thought, when I retire I’m going to volunteer there. So in the fall of 2008 I became a volunteer.
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Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Kewaunee WI, a small town on Lake Michigan. While walking down to Bruemmers Park during the summers, I would walk past Mr. Bultman’s pasture and often feed grass to his Palomino horse. And so it began.
Who is your favorite horse at SMILES and why?
I love Rose. She is so naughty. I love Turtle. He is so naughty. I love Rodney. He is so naughty. I love Henry. He is so naughty. I see a pattern here.
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If you were gifted a million dollars, what would you do with it?
If I had a million I’d contribute to an educational account for my 3 grandsons, host a big party for the staff and volunteers at SMILES and live in Ireland for a year.
What is something you like to do in October?
I love fall in Wisconsin. Everything pumpkin spice. I spend time in Door County seeing the colors and golfing.
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What do you enjoy about volunteering at SMILES?
Love the staff. Love the volunteers. Love the students. And the horses are the icing on the cake.
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Join us for Miles for SMILES and Breakfast at the Barn
Saturday, October 23
Want to volunteer at the event? Click HERE to sign up!
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October Birthdays at SMILES! |
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Alison Packard, October 1
Yvette Turner, October 2
Carolyn Rosenthal, October 6
Dave Williams, October 6
Adriane Kramer, October 13
Michael Sylvester, October 17
James Adkins, October 17
Kathy Monestero, October 29
Karen Elmer, October 29
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SMILES transcends traditional therapeutic methods by offering individuals with special needs the joy of participating in an equine-assisted program which provides social, emotional, physical and personal rewards. |
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