Donate to CTR Today - See Below for Sponsor Level Donations!
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you safe and healthy as we close out 2021 - one of our most challenging years. It certainly has been quite a year, one that is memorable for both hardships and accomplishments. We have struggled as individuals and as an organization with the global pandemic, but in spite of it all we have had an accomplished year! We are so grateful for all the support and encouragement we’ve received from our clients, their families, ongoing donors, new donors and the community at large!
Because of you, we have been able to provide virtual lessons to our families at no charge, something we’ve never done before and certainly couldn’t consider without your help. We completely changed our way of delivering services to our clients, including the veterans we serve, through virtual lessons and experiences. We achieved that goal through creativity, flexibility, and devotion to staying connected to those we hold most dear.
We also discovered new ways to provide farm-based education to our community! We created three YouTube channels to provide private virtual learning for our riders with differing abilities, our veterans, and even our volunteers. We are excited to launch public virtual programming in 2021. Stay tuned!
Sadly, we lost one of our most beloved horses when Captain crossed the Rainbow Bridge in November OF 2020. Captain was our “go to guy” for 12 years. He touched hundreds of people’s lives with his reliability and experience. Even as he aged and retired from mounted lessons, he continued to teach through showing how to care for aged horses. He embodied the spirit of what we are committed to by living a life of service to others.
To be honest, I have struggled with what more to say while asking you to open your hearts and wallets to support CTR. We may have had an accomplished year in terms of programming and meeting the needs of our vulnerable clients, but we are still $23,000 short of our fundraising goal. We need your help. Thankfully, with our resilience and ability to adapt, we are not worried about closing our doors, but instead are focused on continuing to virtually serve the needs of our clients while also fully readying for our clients to return to the farm when it is safe to do so. We all are so looking forward to that day!
Will you consider making a donation to ensure that we are able to keep providing virtual lessons to our riders with differing abilities at a time when such a connection is so critical? Will you help us prepare for our return to in-person interactions when it is safe to be able to do so?
A gift of any amount will help us to continue to provide virtual programming for our riders, sustain our operations, assist with upkeep at the farm and will enable us to recover fully from this past year. With your support I know we be able to thrive once again in 2022!
We wish you all a safe and healthy holiday season and thank you for your support!
Thank you,
Cathy Schmidt
Founder and Executive Director
$4,000 - Hero Sponsor: Supports all riders for one month
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$1,000 - Giddy-up Sponsor: Supports all riders for one week
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$500 - Trot Up Sponsor
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$240 - Rider Up: Supports one rider for a month
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$100 - Walk On Sponsor
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$60 - Boots On: Supports one rider for one lesson
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$25 - Pasture Buddy
More than 14 years ago, I started referring students that I worked with through Harford County Public Schools to CTR. Little did I know that two years later I would be fully immersed in the entire operation. I started out like most, volunteering as a side walker and horse leader. Because of my teaching background, I moved over to the instructor role and loved every minute of it. Working with people has always been my passion, but being able to do it with horses was something new for me. I quickly learned the positive impact the horses had on me, as well as those who have been able to participate in the CTR program. I have seen firsthand how Sally got a woman in a nursing home to say her first words in a long time; "such a nice pony". I watched a young child groom Buttons with the biggest smile his mother said she had ever seen. I observed a group of administrators work together with the horses to solve a problem and all exclaiming it was an amazing experience. There are so many examples I've seen in my time at CTR and I can only hope that the future is full of many more. Going to virtual programming is not what any of us had ever expected, but our team has stepped up, provided lots of videos and had lots of laughs producing them. I sure hope to be back at the farm with all our volunteers, riders and clients sooner than later. But until then, thanks for your continued support. ~ Gayle Zorbach
As much as 2020 has been a challenging year, it has also been a tremendous year of growth and learning. We have learned to pivot, be flexible and think outside the box. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we stay connected to our CTR family. Our horses have a huge impact on the lives of our riders, volunteers and community, and bringing them into their homes through virtual programming is a wonderful way for us to stay connected to those we miss so much!
Creating this virtual content has been a source of joy and happiness for me in an otherwise uncertain and stressful time. I feel fortunate that I get to educate others about horsemanship and share my passion on an entirely new level. As we continue to offer virtual programming until we can be together again, we laugh a lot, grow as a team, and most importantly, keep the barn doors open so that CTR can continue to carry out its mission for many more years to come. I truly have the best job and I am so thankful for your support during this unprecedented time. ~Megan Ferry
This year has proved to be one of the most challenging and nurturing times in my equine experience. I’ve personally always loved watching jumping or cross country GoPro videos, but never imagined that I’d be creating GoPro videos for our CTR clients. I’ve been learning how to both learn and teach differently this year. My coworkers have been so supportive and optimistic as we keep pushing each other to be creative and continue to share our love of horses with others. Despite the effects of a global pandemic keeping us from in-person programming, it’s heartening to know that we have been able to stay connected to our riders and their families through virtual programming as a Horse Discovery Center. We are hopeful and thank you for being part of our future. ~Mollie Beach
