September 2016

Contents:

1. The Bootlegger’s Ball Sets New Record

2. Farewell and Thank You, Faithy and Penny!

3. Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy – TRI’s Newest Program

4. Fall Horse Show sponsored by Premier Health is FREE to TRI STUDENTS

5. Good luck, Michaela!

6. August Corporate Volunteer Highlight – Huge Response Leads to Huge Impact

7. Upcoming Events

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The Bootlegger’s Ball Sets New Record Raising $192,235!

In 2012, after 39 years, TRI took a leap of faith and hired their first employee. Marleen Milkis took to the task with great finesse and has navigated TRI through 4 incredible years. From serving 79 students a year in 2012, TRI proudly served 240 in 2015. As we look toward the future, we are committed to serving even more. August 13th was the start of something big and we are so grateful to each and every one of our guests and volunteers who poured their hearts into the Bootlegger’s Ball. Our guests came dressed to the nines, our volunteers went above and beyond, and despite the rain, the night was spectacular! We have so many people to thank – our Honorary Chair, Jamie Schade, our Sponsors, our Guests, our Students, our Volunteers, our Board of Directors, Doug Sorrell, Bullwinkles, the Miamisburg Historical Society, Mike Elsass, Canopy Creek Farm, Troy Kaper, Tom England, John McKean, Thomas Sheibenberger, Prime Time, Chick Fil A and Joshua Jazz. This night wouldn’t have been the same without you. It was a true Bootlegger’s Ball. We hope everyone enjoyed the night as much as we did!

Thank you to everyone who helped TRI reach for the stars!

Be sure to check out the FABULOUS photos by:

Tom England at http://folio.tenglandproductions.com/p398139460(password TRI_bootleggers)

John McKean at http://www.whywelovebirds.com/p949951196

Tom Sheibenberger here

If you missed the TRI video by Brennan Walden and Adam Horvath, you can find it at

http://triohio.org/friendraiser-2/

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Farewell and Thank You, Faithy and Penny! By Michele Green, Program Director

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Rawlings family for allowing us to

have Faithy and Penny for part of this year. These lovely horses joined us in January,

and quickly became favorites of the UD Equestrian Team volunteers as they helped us

with their training program. Throughout their training period, and during their walks in

classes in Session 1 (without students aboard), the mares did quite well. They both began

working with students in Session 2, and while Faithy seemed to accept her new job, Penny

found it very stressful.

At the conclusion of the session, we had to take a hard look at the probability of Penny

relaxing into the job. During schooling sessions, it became apparent that she simply is not

comfortable being responsible for our students. Our horses’ physical and mental well-

being are paramount to the safety of our students – if our horses aren’t happy, we aren’t happy!!

And so we’ve had to make the decision to release both Penny and Faithy from our program, as the owners

request that they stay together. We are happy to report that both mares will be joining a family in Michigan,

where they will be well loved by their own people, and participate in 4-H activities. We are grateful for what

they were able to do for our clients, and we are grateful to the Rawlings’s for allowing us to have them.

Happy trails, girls!

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy – TRI’s Newest Program! By Michele Green, Program Director

We are excited to announce that we are now offering Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) through

partnerships with licensed mental health professionals. Sam Lape is our PATH certified Equine Specialist, and

she has been working with Darcie Clark of Riverscape Counseling to provide EFP to Riverscape clients.

What is EFP? EFP is a recognized experiential treatment modality that utilizes the power of the horse to

promote therapeutic outcomes. Huh? Simply put, this is a therapy session that focuses on the horse, and the

horse’s behavior and responses to the client. The equine specialist translates those behaviors for clients who

do not know “horse”, and the mental health professional uses those behaviors and responses to point out

similarities in the clients’ interactions with others. Typically, new clients start by observing horses at liberty,

and learning to recognize their social structure, body language and behaviors. They move on to learning to

halter a horse, leading and grooming. Exercises are created that allow the client to learn to recognize and

manage their own emotional state, to recognize and understand non-verbal communications, to problem

solve and to form a connection with another living being. When appropriate, EFP can even include riding.

So, does it work? Absolutely! Horses provide incredible biofeedback – if you don’t believe this, think of the

times you’ve seen Nick tense with his head up and eyes bulging. You probably heard the instructor tell his

rider to relax, and to breathe. And when the rider did, Nick relaxed, dropped his head and had a much more

pleasant expression. That is biofeedback! Our horses constantly provide this, whether we are on them or on

the ground. If a client enters the arena feeling hostile, or aggressive, the horses are going to move away,

until the client relaxes. If a client is feeling fragile, and just needs a quiet hug, you can bet the horses know

this, and yes, they do give hugs.

While we are currently serving a very limited number of clients in the EFP program through Riverscape

Counseling, we look forward to expanding. We are pursuing relationships with other mental health

professionals, and hope to be able to offer this unique service multiple days of the week.

Good Luck to Michaela! By Marleen Milkis, Executive Director

Hopefully, you’ve had the chance to meet our wonderful Development Associate, Michaela Forsythe. Michaela came to us 4 months ago while finishing her degree in Organizational Leadership at Wright State University to assist with FriendRaiser planning. She took to the job with a great tenacity that culminated in our most successful Silent Auction to date.

Joining TRI’s team is no small task. TRI’s growth has been fast paced and our employees are constantly tasked with new experiences that they must tackle with limited oversight or guidance. Michaela jumped into this environment with ease and great success.

Today is Michaela’s last day with TRI. We are proud to announce that she has officially graduated from Wright State University, and wish her the best of luck as she starts out on her life journey. We know she will excel at whatever she sets her mind to.

THANK YOU MICHAELA, AND GOOD LUCK!!! You will always have friends and a home at TRI.

The TRI Staff, Volunteers and Families

Fall Horse Show sponsored by Premier Health is FREE to TRI STUDENTS By Michele Green, Program Director

TRI invites all students with current physician’s forms on file to participate in the Fall Student Horse Show.

Students will be judged on their equestrian skills on the rail at the walk and trot and through relay races and

games. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded.

Join us for a fun day to celebrate our students’ progress and success!

The Fall Student Horse Show – October 8th

Sponsored by Premier Health

With Judges

Liz Tippet, PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. Liz has years of experience

working with individuals with special needs. While her riding foundation is in balanced seat equitation and

dressage, she has experience in a variety of disciplines, including hunters, jumpers, western and polo. Liz

works full-time as a speech-language pathologist, and part-time as Chief Spoiler of her horse, Hawkeye

&

Adriene Kramer, Centered Riding Level II Instructor and American Riding Instructors Association

Certified Level II in Dressage & Eventing. As one of only six certified Centered Riding instructors in Ohio, she

enjoys working with the Centered Riding principles and helping riders help their horses, teaching lessons at

The Riding Centre (Yellow Springs) as well as at various private farms. When not working with her students,

Adriene is enjoying strengthening her partnership with the new horse in her life, Louie.

Food Generously Provided by the Penny Race Sponsor

AND

Entry Fees for ALL Riders Covered by

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August Corporate Volunteer Highlight – Huge Response leads to Huge Impact By Sam Lape, Volunteer & Equine Coordinator TRI was extremely lucky this month to have the help from not one, not two, but THREE special volunteer groups in preparation for our FriendRaiser! The first group we had the pleasure of hosting out at the barn was yet another group from GE! The guys from GE always go above and beyond for us and this time was no exception. They not only were able to finish our awesome pallet door and barback (used as set pieces for the FriendRaiser), but they also welded us amazing horse shoe pieces such as wine holders and decorative pumpkins that we were able to auction off the night of the FriendRaiser! Along with these awesome projects, GE also cleaned the barn until every inch was looking new again! Thanks GE! TRI could not have made it through the FriendRaiser without the help from our other amazing corporate volunteer group, Chick-Fil-A, who provided four different groups to help with FriendRaiser preparation and clean up! These groups provided an incredible amount of help, from loading the U-Haul with every bit of decorations we could fit to day-of set up and decorating to unloading the U-Haul and cleaning the barn. All while it was hot, humid, and rainy! In addition to these four great groups, Chick-Fil-A provided TRI with a part-time volunteer, who dedicated 20 hours of her week to helping Christine and Michaela with every bit of last minute detailing we needed. Thank you Kristy and all of the employees at the Washington Township Chick-Fil-A!! Along with our corporate volunteer groups, we also had the help of our great friends from Goodwill who volunteered their time to help TRI prepare and clean for the FriendRaiser as a part of their job skills program. Goodwill brought out two hardworking young adults, Hailey and Josh, who helped with everything from counting plates for the FriendRaiser to reorganizing and deep cleaning the tack room! All of this hard work not only helps TRI but also helps these young adults learn responsibility and how to finish a task on time. We couldn’t have done it without their help! TRI would like to thank every single volunteer who helped us out with the FriendRaiser, whether they be a dedicated TRI volunteer or one of our new friends who took the time to help TRI put on our best FriendRaiser yet!

We had 98 volunteers outside of TRI help out and dedicate

more than 250 hours of their time to help us out.

We cannot thank everyone enough! **********************************************************************************************

Upcoming Events

Side Helper Training: September 6 – 5:45pm – 8pm

RSVP required to Sam at Volunteer@TRIohio.org

Horse Leader Training & Evaluation: September 8 – 5:45pm – 8pm

Horse experience required. Must be trained as a Side Helper.

RSVP required to Sam at Volunteer@TRIohio.org

September 17 – November 12– Session III

Parelli Clinic for TRI Volunteers: Sunday, September 18th from 1-4pm All TRI volunteers are encouraged to attend this informational clinic by Parelli Professional, Tom Pompeii.

Horse Leaders are invited to buy a chance for $5 to participate in this ground clinic with a TRI horse. RSVP Required to Sam at Volunteer@TRIohio.org.

Fall Student Horse Show: October 8th Sponsored by

All students ride for free!

PENNY RACE: September 24th – November 4th

Sponsored by the Allen Lund Company Get ready for the 2016 Penny Race! Kicking off September 24th, each day of the week will separate into teams and be pitted against each other to raise money for TRI. Each team has a bucket at the barn. Put silver coins, dollars and checks in your team’s bucket, but avoid pennies, they’re negative! Now’s a good time to reach out to your employer to nominate TRI for your Casual Fridays or to inquire whether you can put a change jar in the break room.

Penny Race 2016 – for the glory!

November 28– December 2 – Family Session

Contact Michele at Program@TRIohio.org to register