DurhamCares

2012 Total Operating Budget: $314,634

Q1 Results:

Hope Reins held 64 sessions in the first quarter, serving 39 children and 24 family members.

31 volunteer applications were submitted in the first quarter, and Hope Reins has 94 prospective volunteers.

Hope Reins added 1 new referral partner, making their total 9. They also added 1 new strategic church partnership, moving their total number of church partnerships to 4.

What

Hope Reins is Christian equine ministry which pairs rescued horses with children experiencing life issues to find hope and healing. We are privileged to serve youth ages 5 to 18 and their families that are struggling with issues such as trauma, abuse, and illness or may live in an at-risk environment.

As an equine assisted outreach program, we provide a free of charge, one-on-one session for a child with a trained leader and horse that is customized to their specific situation or need. A session lasts 60- 90 minutes and may include a farm chore, grooming, groundwork, riding, journaling and games.

For a variety of reasons the children we serve are often experiencing some form of emotional isolation, which can manifests itself as a difficulty connecting and having sustained or healthy human relationships. Bonding with the horses can be a less threatening emotional attachment, providing a safe context to practice trust and social skills, which can transforms into meaningful human interactions.

Why

Kim Tschirret, founder and president of Hope of Reins of Raleigh, grew up in dysfunctional family affected deeply by alcoholism and verbal abuse. After learning about Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon and reading the book Hope Rising written by Crystal Peaks’ founder, Kim Meeder, Kim (Tschirret) felt called to bring that same comfort to hurting children in Raleigh. Kim founded Hope Reins of Raleigh in October 2009.

Riding/Grooming Training: Hope Reins serves youth ages 5 to 18 struggling with life issues by offering a one-on-one session where each child partners with a trained volunteer leader and horse. This allows for a very private, customized session for the child geared to their specific needs and unique situation.

Hope Reins’ goal is not to teach children how to ride a horse; rather it is to create a relationship and bond through the horse. At the core of the sessions, instructors teach children basic horsemanship skills both in saddle and on the ground. Natural horsemanship principles teach the child about their horse’s personality and body language. They use these skills to communicate with the horse and problem solve together. These exercises give ample opportunities to draw analogies for their own lives. Issues such as fear, anxiety, trust, anger, respect, etc. can be addressed by working with these amazing animals. Learning how to ride a horse and communicate with such a powerful animal gives a child confidence and builds self-esteem.Grooming and groundwork activities in the roundpen provide quiet, intimate opportunities for a child to connect and bond with their equine counselor.

When scheduling sessions with a child’s guardian, Hope Rein’s staff works to establish a clear understanding of the child’s situation and set goals for the child’s session. Every 60-90-minute session is built around the same central goal set for each child. At the end of four sessions the child’s progress is evaluated to determine whether additional sessions are need to meet the child’s goal.

Allin Foulkrod

Strategic Vision and Fundraising/Development

Professionally, Allin founded Creative Visions, a leading special event production and design company in 1989 while a freshman at NC State. He is also the co-founder of the Triangle Leadership Forum, a ministry whose mission is to develop Christ-like men to be leaders in their families, occupations, communities and churches. Allin serves as an elder at Southbridge Fellowship. He is thrilled to be on the board with his daughter Anna, with the support of his wife, Barbara, and son Nick.

Bonnie McCullough

Director of Finance

Bonnie is a Director of Finance, for Parish Capital Advisors, LLP, and is responsible for financial reporting, regulatory compliance (in both the US and UK), administrative infrastructure, human resources and risk management for the Firm. She has over 18 years experience in both public and industry accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of North Carolina and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Lori Taylor

Training of volunteers and referral/partner development

Throughout her adult life, Lori Taylor has been working with children and families. The bulk of her experience is with children and families who have been through severe trauma. She has worked as therapist (milieu, individual, play, family and group), clinical supervisor, and program director in San Francisco, California. These children were living in group homes, foster care, with birth family or on the run. Her work has given her a breadth of experience working within a multi-systemic context, including large systems such as Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Probation, Juvenile Justice and psychiatric hospitals. Lori is married to her husband, Philip, and they have two children, Mia and Dillon.

Kim Tschirret

Founder & President of Hope Reins

Kim is the President and Founder of Hope Reins of Raleigh. God helped prepare her to develop and manage Hope Reins through the years she spent working in marketing, brand management and more recently a direct marketing business. Kim is married to her husband, Mike, who has been extremely supportive in the creation of Hope Reins (he is Hope Reins’ IT Director) and they have two children, Chance and Isabel.

Hope_Reins_2011_Report.pdf