Reins of Hope to benefit Family and Youth
Published 7:37 am Saturday, November 22, 2014
Unique endeavors and coming up with creative methods to better serve the community are things the Family and Youth Counseling Agency is known for in the Lake Area.
On Saturday, Nov. 22, the agency will look to add to that perception by partnering with The Stables at Le Bocage to host the Reins of Hope Charity Horse Show. The event is open to the public and will take place at 450 South Park Road at 8:30 a.m.
Horses from all over Southwest Louisiana will be competing in different classes at the event from breeding and jumping to dressage and riding. The festivities will include vendors serving food, a silent auction and a $5 raffle with the prize being a Yeti cooler.
Proceeds from the event will benefit children receiving counseling and therapy at the Shannon Cox Counseling Center, a division of Family Youth. A number of programs of the counseling center will benefit from the money raised, including a new program focused on horse riding therapy.
Julio Galan, agency CEO, said even though the spotlight is on ways to provide additional support to many of the counseling center’s unique programs, the real focus remains on the individual people benefitting from those programs.
“We know children need to express themselves and our job as counselors is to produce the tools and opportunities they need to address grief,” Galan said. “The use of pets helps children express emotions. Horse therapy works on these same principles.”
The ideas Galan was referring to consist of the rider embracing the horse as a partner, assisting the rider with activities that could be challenges to both the mind and the body. Galan said the relationship shared with a horse during therapeutic riding can increase self-awareness, foster trust, and build self-esteem in a child.
For more information, or to make a donation on behalf of the counseling center, contact Roxanne Camara with Family and Youth at atroxanne@fyca.org or 436-9533.
