tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76669468119838751502024-03-19T02:41:26.297-07:00Changing Lives, One Stride at a TimeFidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-27264011258055936012016-03-02T07:47:00.000-08:002016-03-03T06:30:50.044-08:00February 28th<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing blog posts from our awesome interns from Coastal Carolina University. We are so lucky to have their enthusiasm and hope they learn a lot from their experience with us!</div>
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This week at
Fidelis we had an all boys group come out.
I had a group of three this week who road Tee. </div>
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Tee is my favorite horse to work with because
he is very sweet and understanding. Half
of my group had been to Fidelis before so they knew how to groom and tack, but
one of my group members had never been to Fidelis before and had never been
around horses before. With support from
his teammates and I he got the courage to go near Tee and help groom him. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBeH0B2Z6x4O92juPx7WGHgmq6rh2shFKGqy1EFpGSP8m7ak35hA3J3Lswod55qAJeP1emWglMInOAf4hz2EOQzTJRjrvgkFz7Lljt5fCvnOq7OieKt6tX0E7paQIi3dil8w_pRUf7Tc/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZBeH0B2Z6x4O92juPx7WGHgmq6rh2shFKGqy1EFpGSP8m7ak35hA3J3Lswod55qAJeP1emWglMInOAf4hz2EOQzTJRjrvgkFz7Lljt5fCvnOq7OieKt6tX0E7paQIi3dil8w_pRUf7Tc/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noelle with her favorite horse, Tee.</td></tr>
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Teamwork plays a huge role at Fidelis because
the kids need teamwork to successfully work together and to complete the task
at hand. All of the kids were very
confident once they got onto the horse.
Their favorite things to do was weave through the pole and to trot. The kids love trotting because they get to go
fast and it gives them a sense of freedom. </div>
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Once my entire group was done riding they said that Tee was their new
favorite horse and that they couldn’t wait to come back and ride again. – Noelle <o:p></o:p></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-86388182652749545852016-03-02T07:42:00.001-08:002016-03-02T07:42:31.192-08:00Heartland Hearts Fidelis!<div class="MsoNormal">
With each new semester we are blessed with eager interns from Coastal Carolina University. Over the next few weeks they will be sharing Fidelis through their eyes</div>
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This week we had the largest group that we’ve ever had
come out! 19 kids came out to Fidelis
from Heartland. I had the littlest group
who got to ride our Halflinger pony Ginger.
First I taught the kids how to groom Ginger. Many of them had never touched a horse before
so at first they were a little shy, but once they knew she was harmless they
warmed up to her. Then I taught them how
to tack up her up. </div>
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The kids loved that
Ginger was a small pony who was their size and that she had lots of mane and
tail. Then it was time to ride. My group was fearless when it came to riding
and quickly picked up all the skills that it took to correctly ride a
horse. </div>
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<a href="http://wpde.com/news/local/horse-therapy-offered-for-grieving-children" target="_blank">Click here to see my experience at Fidelis on WPDE</a></div>
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The magic that Fidelis has really
showed in my group because when I first meet my group they were extremely shy,
but by the end of the day they all became very outgoing and thoroughly enjoyed
their day riding at Fidelis. – Noelle<o:p></o:p></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-16760007824197623842014-11-10T11:37:00.003-08:002014-11-10T11:39:13.343-08:00Through an Intern's Eye: AHA Beach Ride<div class="MsoNormal">
This week Fidelis had an amazing opportunity to volunteer at
the American Heart Association Beach Ride.
We had a spot right by the beach access selling AHA merchandise. Over the course of the four day event we have
reached hundreds of people and have been able to share Fidelis with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to selling merchandise from the American Heart
Association we also gave away 200 treats homemade by our participants. We
bagged up each treat and attached a little information about Fidelis. It has
been a great opportunity to get our name out to the public and to different
horse people from all over the country. Not only do we get to give out
information about Fidelis but we have also been placed on the back of every participant’s
t shirt and are included on each promotional display.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5HXsWPnhzMz2ED_wyMkyB20TzeorbXgXjomJijPdOzgzgbSA7N43-mxyzBHdi2kmRlxjTVrdea4tg_CPXgmSTZbSdi23i2vXbRAC67Pa0NapH9P7bzaUjH42QW-4W4QME0vUZBmT-pg/s1600/heart+ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5HXsWPnhzMz2ED_wyMkyB20TzeorbXgXjomJijPdOzgzgbSA7N43-mxyzBHdi2kmRlxjTVrdea4tg_CPXgmSTZbSdi23i2vXbRAC67Pa0NapH9P7bzaUjH42QW-4W4QME0vUZBmT-pg/s1600/heart+ride.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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On Friday we sold lanterns for the Lantern Release. When someone purchased a lantern they were
able to release them over the ocean in honor of a loved one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On Saturday 1,500 horses took to the beach in the 33rd
Annual Jack Monroe Beach Ride. There
were some local media outlets present at the event and Fidelis was featured on
Horse Tales! It was great to see the
horse community come together for this great cause!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif-GzmhmsKBLF2i0Alw-n71gEe5-fh07-jWk0IlYnOkw96Gw9bK16zEmCBad2ezu_KjK_EtJxTR3sGly9WVfQCvyZHeAYDe7-XwGmjjwL8nkAkseZMjg7Qdp7f_3j_tPqag-Yxs1uuYU/s1600/heart+ride+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif-GzmhmsKBLF2i0Alw-n71gEe5-fh07-jWk0IlYnOkw96Gw9bK16zEmCBad2ezu_KjK_EtJxTR3sGly9WVfQCvyZHeAYDe7-XwGmjjwL8nkAkseZMjg7Qdp7f_3j_tPqag-Yxs1uuYU/s1600/heart+ride+flag.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We are so thankful to everyone at the American Heart
Association who helped us get our name out there! We also appreciate all the
time and energy that our volunteers have given us by coming out and helping
us. We donated 60 hours this weekend and
could not have done it without you.
Thank you to all of those who spent their time with us giving back to
the American Heart Association in honor of Fidelis. We are also thankful to our new friends on
Facebook! We hope to see and hear from
you all soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-13349804368052822282014-10-27T15:35:00.000-07:002014-10-27T15:39:02.644-07:00Through an Intern's Eye: Seacoast is here!<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">This week we had 6 riders from Seacoast Youth Academy come out and ride with us! The girls were between the ages of 11 and 16, half of them were return visitors while the other three were joining us for </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">the</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> first time. After opening up with our prayer and discussing barn rules we moved into the barn to groom and tack up our horses. This week we used Maya, Yokum, and Tee. Each horse had two girls, one new and one returner who learned how to groom and properly tack up a horse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">In addition to three new riders we also had two new volunteers. Thank you to Suzanne and Sarah for </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">joining us from Brightwater Retirement Community! I spoke about them last week when I blogged about the Internship Fair Fidelis attended. We gained two new volunteers and a court sponsor for our Tennis Tournament.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteers, Abby, Eli, and Emma Kay are helping the girls tack up Yokum.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">After tacking up our horses we split up into two groups. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Our</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> first group went out in the arena, today we set up an obstacle course </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">for the riders to navigate their horses around. It was made up cones to weave their horse in and out of, a square for them to turn their horse around in and stop and 2 sets of ground poles to go over. After they were comfortable in the saddle and had completed the obstacle course they did a few laps of trotting. Obstacle courses are a great challenge because it make our riders think! They use problem solving techniques and learn to communicate with their horse to get their desired outcome.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of our obstacle course from this week.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">While half of the girls were riding the other half were working with Sybil. It is amazing to see Sybil work with these young adults. Today the </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">focus</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> was on self-esteem. To help the girls build confidence Sybil had them create a crest. She shared about her experience in the PeaceCorps and how the citizens of Swaziland represented themselves though their crests. Each girl was given a blank crest and asked to fill it in with pictures that answered the following questions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17px;">Draw a picture that represents where you want to be in 5 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17px;">Draw a picture that represents your past.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sybil leading group this week!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">I got to listen in on some of the discussions and I was amazed at the discussions Sybil was having. The girls had great insight and provided some really </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">thought provoking</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> answers. They were able to decorate their shields and bring them home as a reminder of where they came from and what their future holds! Our volunteers did a great job, leading by example and sharing some of their experiences. It is important for youth to have a diverse perspective and our volunteers did just that during this activity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">We are very thankful for the staff at Seacoast Youth Academy. One staff member volunteered her time so that the girls could come this week! That tells me that they value the service we are providing to their residents. Thank you to that staff member for being so dedicated to our program!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">We had an amazing turnout of volunteers today! 19 in total! Special thanks to Lucy for stepping in and working hard with our riders out in the arena! We are always thankful that our volunteers are always willing to step in when needed. Our volunteers are the reason we </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">can</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> continue to provide these awesome opportunities!</span></span></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-69050476903576540212014-10-24T09:30:00.000-07:002014-10-24T09:30:03.500-07:00Through an Intern's Eye: Searching for my Replacement<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week Sybil, Nicole and I were able to attend an internship fair that was being held at Coastal Carolina University. In the past when I have attended this event I was looking for an internship. This time it was different being on the other recruiting volunteers and possibly an intern for next semester after graduation. This opportunity allowed us to not only look for individuals who are interested in our organization but also meet businesses who may be interested in assisting us.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is our booth at Coastal Carolina University's 2014 Health, Hospitality and Recreation Internship Fair</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our time was well spent! We met a few people who will be a great addition to Fidelis. We had the chance to talk to different people who will bring diversity to our program. I was surprised to see how many of the people who signed up actually had past experience with horses. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only did we get a few new volunteers to add to our organization, we also got the chance to network! I personally met a nice business woman who works for a company in Myrtle Beach. She had previously heard of Fidelis and was enthusiastic about giving her time and volunteering with us! She also helped us by getting her company to contribute a court sponsorship for our upcoming tennis tournament which is less than a month away! </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-b7bfbfb0-42f1-5b74-9af7-050e0ca0ec83"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fairs like this are just one more way that we can get out into the public to tell people about what it is that we at Fidelis! If you are reading this post and know of a way we can share our organization to a group of individuals please let us know! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-7253465598701624932014-10-20T11:25:00.002-07:002014-10-20T11:28:11.954-07:00Through an Intern's Eye: October 20th<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Sunday we hosted Heartland at Fidelis. It was a relatively small group of three riders which gave us more time for the kids to ride in the ring. All 3 riders had been to Fidelis before so they knew what they had to do to get the horses ready to ride. After grooming and tacking up we all went in to the arena to ride for about an hour. It started out with the normal mounting and riding around the arena getting use to each horse and learning the regular commands. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoOD8tqKzNtESg-coX2yQcJvSZ8SzoBV7LbZABofjN3BAnQYCJWTHCw065dVVaIzCLFpjo5vn3AvPPsfBqMmtWyclGwSOj426zSD2Coz1QfXWH1W-EMLXBKGktQJ5mSyoFSv9LpKjlU/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoOD8tqKzNtESg-coX2yQcJvSZ8SzoBV7LbZABofjN3BAnQYCJWTHCw065dVVaIzCLFpjo5vn3AvPPsfBqMmtWyclGwSOj426zSD2Coz1QfXWH1W-EMLXBKGktQJ5mSyoFSv9LpKjlU/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I personally worked from the start with a four year old named Liam. Liam had absolutely no fear getting involved with the horses. He helped us groom and tack up Yokum and then we were the first ones out into the arena. We got him up on Yokum and his feet just barely reached the stirrups. Liam after about 20 minutes knew exactly what to do, he was able to make Yokum stop and go by himself. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was great seeing this young rider be able to show that he could control Yokum and that he could get the results he wanted from him. At the beginning he was on the quieter side, by the end he knew that if he spoke loud and clearly he could get his desired results from Yokum. When I asked him how he felt to control an animal 33 times his size, he replied, "Awesome!" Yokum, responded so well to this tiny equestrian, it is clear to see why he is a barn favorite!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Lu8-2UxK-IUv8fB3dekME_wg_3sccA04jfh3mSiCv3FUBRvytTlA0DY7mM1kRQYY_N05NqG2XIAZ6sJRanOfWZ2DD-xXhkKWGO9erBxn5efFF14r-9429AInuUA4-UVCyATk0LuWd4s/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Lu8-2UxK-IUv8fB3dekME_wg_3sccA04jfh3mSiCv3FUBRvytTlA0DY7mM1kRQYY_N05NqG2XIAZ6sJRanOfWZ2DD-xXhkKWGO9erBxn5efFF14r-9429AInuUA4-UVCyATk0LuWd4s/s1600/unnamed-2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I did not work hands on with the other two riders they looked like they were having a blast! They were older then Liam and could nudge the horses along when they wanted to go. I watched them while I was waiting in line to do the obstacle course that Ms. Joy had set up in the arena and they did great. They were able to tell their horse where they needed to be and when to stop, when to turn and when to walk on. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-2f3c7c4b-2ec5-d599-1c75-cf48574a5d60"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.0791666666666666; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was my first time working with Heartland Hospice and even though we did not have that many riders I think the event went great! Everyone was able to work hands on with the riders and really form a connection. It was also a great opportunity for our two new volunteers who came to be able to watch what we do at Fidelis. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxMxa5Onu79DUvDKOywhx5LU2LUuS0FIDH2pLF0rED0SOjg4vULMWpmBDRrfciJ9QxLvt99t0nQ5VOPt0puTN2oBaa0qhW9Fj3N8Z8oEYKf40BB5j4PNiVHif-RmevuGtDt614c7Es90/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxMxa5Onu79DUvDKOywhx5LU2LUuS0FIDH2pLF0rED0SOjg4vULMWpmBDRrfciJ9QxLvt99t0nQ5VOPt0puTN2oBaa0qhW9Fj3N8Z8oEYKf40BB5j4PNiVHif-RmevuGtDt614c7Es90/s1600/unnamed-1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-80898462528238182032014-10-20T11:12:00.001-07:002014-10-20T11:12:25.091-07:00Through an Intern's Eyes: Fall Fun!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past weeks event was another great one! We had 7 riders join us from Peggy's Kids. This is my second time working with these young riders and they did just as great this time as they did last time. Peggy's Kids was the first group that I ever worked with when I started my internship with Fidelis. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my previous experience with non profits I never really got to work hands on with the people of the group so it is a nice change for me to be able to work with different populations.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ad6d673-2ebe-9143-2731-434ca5595a66" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After meeting and grooming our horses the 7 riders split up into small groups. One group started out riding and the other group put together scarecrow like pumpkins. I thought the design for the pumpkins was pretty cool, the riders had a design they could follow on the package but most of them went with their own designs. It was really interesting to see how some of them decided to design their pumpkin scarecrows. Some had very little on it, and some had so much hair it was layer on top of layer. Not only did the riders get to enjoy making a pumpkin, but I also saw a few volunteers get in there and design one! </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peggy’s Kids have been coming to the barn for a while now, so out in the Arena they know what they are suppose to do. We were lucky enough to have a lot of volunteers to help assist in the arena. With a volunteer on each side, the riders walked around the arena, then trotted for a few laps. We also practiced stopping our horses and instructing them to hug the fence. At the end we set up a few obstacle type courses for the riders to ride their horses around, such as barrels and zigzagging through cones. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only did we have a lot of riders last week but we also had a lot of volunteers! We had probably 5 or 6 new volunteers which is great! Most of them had come from Coastal Carolina University and they jumped right in to helping out! It is always great to see that people can come out to volunteer and dive straight in without any hesitation. All in all we had another very successful time with Peggy’s Kids! </span></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-33819454213942858472014-09-24T07:48:00.001-07:002014-09-24T07:48:41.052-07:00Behind the Scenes: Through an Intern's Eye<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I first started my internship at Fidelis I was worried there might not be enough things to do to fulfill my 290 hour commitment. I am now 5 weeks into it and I know nothing could be farther from the truth. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>From an outsiders point of view, it may look like our program is run for three hours a week. However, to make sure that our program goes off without a hitch it takes a weeks worth of effort. On </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Thursday morning we reach out to each individual group to make sure they are still able to come and to get head count on how many riders to expect. After that, we email all of the volunteers and to make sure we will have enough to run our program safely. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, I have spent most of my time so far working on getting the Fidelis name and mission out to the public. I have created an account on Volunteermatch.org which is a site that anyone can go on and look up local volunteer opportunities. Even though our account has only been live for less than a week we already have one volunteer that we have talked to who is excited to work with Fidelis! Being a Coastal student, I have reached out to different groups on campus who might also be interested in being volunteers. The one that I think is most fitting is the Coastal Equestrian Team. They seem very interested in helping and have a background in horses which is always an added plus! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last thing that is very important is all the work being done by everyone for the 2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">nd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Annual Serving Aces for Smiling Faces Tennis Tournament! Our goal this year is $5,000 which is twice the amount of what was raised last year! Each member on the Board of Directors is trying to get as many sponsors as possible at $100 each. We are always looking for different sponsors but also for players! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wLZ-ATGy5mRxoOxMcqCDdpm0omCPZfYvjtVIhM9_3L-1zqye3bEL3wYf5N0ClcUVQGoO-zhflXaH4I00ZQlvRaNHdG8hfx8MqUh4uNOtWRgasj4Buc5pbqx4lyffB8Ia2EJzdE6wmW0/s1600/IMG_9051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wLZ-ATGy5mRxoOxMcqCDdpm0omCPZfYvjtVIhM9_3L-1zqye3bEL3wYf5N0ClcUVQGoO-zhflXaH4I00ZQlvRaNHdG8hfx8MqUh4uNOtWRgasj4Buc5pbqx4lyffB8Ia2EJzdE6wmW0/s1600/IMG_9051.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week I also got on my first horse in over 10 years! It took a bit to remember all you had to do with tacking up and getting the horse ready but it’s coming back bit my bit. It was awesome being back on a horse, the first day I rode Yokum who was an awesome teacher. It took a bit to get him to move but he put up with me pretty well. The second time I rode Mya who had a little more get up and go in her. Being back in the saddle and a little more familiar with the individual horses that Fidelis uses will help a lot when it comes to helping the riders. </span></div>
Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-85876755452284214222014-09-10T06:43:00.000-07:002014-09-10T07:37:20.361-07:00Through an Intern's Eye: September 7th<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This Sunday was my first Fidelis experience. We had two different groups of riders, Peggy’s Kids and Celebrate Kids. These two groups of children are our youngest participants and have overcome some difficult circumstances in their lives. I was amazed by the number of people we hosted at the barn, in total we had 11 riders and 19 volunteers! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIrU1HSGii-dbA593UselOLuRLPcYROCn4J6mNcKXukQIXhsDOCzSjBGLChOGXDCXqtKNlc48DvhCVglKZxtybfFAoAaivvuYkIvhsieEN0mBYOTN-PSugTPl2pT2tYaVXGpa6MGVL-I/s1600/IMG_7625.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIrU1HSGii-dbA593UselOLuRLPcYROCn4J6mNcKXukQIXhsDOCzSjBGLChOGXDCXqtKNlc48DvhCVglKZxtybfFAoAaivvuYkIvhsieEN0mBYOTN-PSugTPl2pT2tYaVXGpa6MGVL-I/s1600/IMG_7625.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 volunteers, 11 riders and 5 horses! It was a full barn!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">With so many riders we broke into three small groups and rotated everyone between two different activities and riding in the ring. Everyone came together at the beginning and brushed and tacked up our five Fidelis horses. Each horse had 2 – 3 riders grooming them along with two volunteers each. While Maya, Yokum, Tee, and Buddy were being ridden in </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">the</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> ring, Lexington was very happy to be groomed and walked around by participants who weren't riding. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lHlHqEQTZvKpB8GhuaEJhl_euiDmE-uPso9mOrH5T1Zu_sWVLF0qYwHHsiI65IoaugWWc-iYhM0jP6PnPZhGNcVk3I-eVgrrd50paS3Xg1ScR5mwlFjYmGUZZtyCBQPnCbIBC_4KMP8/s1600/10600451_717631871625535_8166993044385431121_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lHlHqEQTZvKpB8GhuaEJhl_euiDmE-uPso9mOrH5T1Zu_sWVLF0qYwHHsiI65IoaugWWc-iYhM0jP6PnPZhGNcVk3I-eVgrrd50paS3Xg1ScR5mwlFjYmGUZZtyCBQPnCbIBC_4KMP8/s1600/10600451_717631871625535_8166993044385431121_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">The participants who were riding worked </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">with</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> trained volunteers to </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">develop</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> balance, confidence, and communication with their horses. The volunteers were amazing at sharing the skills they knew as well as making each participant feel comfortable. For several riders it was their first time </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">on a horse and in no time they were steering, halting and even trotting!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">When one group was in the arena riding, the other two groups were split up between two activities. One activity was playing horseshoes on the front lawn; this gave me a good opportunity to meet some of the riders individually. In my past internship experiences I had worked planning and running events to benefit the American Cancer Society. For my 290 hour internship I wanted to make sure I had a hands on experience working with those who were benefiting </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">from</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">the</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">organization</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">The other group was inside the kitchen working on a self-esteem building activity. The participants traced their hands and were then asked to share five nice things about themselves on each of their fingers. In the palm of their hand they drew something that represented themselves. I </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px;">enjoyed working with one rider who had a difficult time thinking of nice things about himself. It made it worth it to me when I could talk with him and find out things he liked about himself and helped him write them on his "hand." </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Throughout the two hours at the barn each rider was able to groom, ride, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px;">play horseshoes and discover some things they like about themselves</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">My first experience with Fidelis brought many eye-opening moments. However, there is one particularly that sticks out to me. One of the counselors from Celebrate Kids shared with us that she was concerned about one of the riders. This particular participant had a lot of tactile and sensory issues and while she thought this experience would be great for him, she wasn't quite sure how he would adjust. I asked her to take a walk into the barn with me and introduce me to him so I could spend extra time with him. When we walked up to Tee we were shocked to see that he was busy picking up brushes and practicing his grooming skills on his horse! It is amazing what horses can do! This same rider hadn't even been on the horse for 2 minutes when he was asking when he could come back again!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">I want to give a big thank you to the 19 volunteers, old and new that showed up to help us this past Sunday with a large group of enthusiastic young riders! I am glad to be a </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">part of this great group of people!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So long, until next week. - Jamie</td></tr>
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Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-62258002904639002052014-09-03T09:44:00.000-07:002014-09-03T09:44:02.724-07:00Meet Jamie<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">This post is written by our latest edition to the Fidelis team. Jamie has joined us for the Fall </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">semester</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> and brings a lot of knowledge about fundraising. We are looking forward to teaching him about equine assisted learning and learning some </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">tricks</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> of the trade about fundraising from him! Jamie will be blogging weekly about his experiences, so here is a quick post so you all get to know him!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hello,</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Relays for his Mom. <br />He is excited to work with Fidelis for the kids!</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My name is Jamie O’Connell and I am a senior at Coastal Carolina University. I was born in upstate New York and grew up in Wilmington North Carolina. I am currently a senior at Coastal and will be graduating in December of 2014. I spent a lot of time around horses during my summer vacations in New York and was a counselor at a summer horse camp at my home barn. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In my four years at coastal I have been heavily involved in Coastal’s Relay For Life event which has raised a little over $460,000. My first three years I was a sub chair working with both logistics and fundraising, my last year I was the co-chair for the entire Relay For Life. Relay has always been my biggest focus during my time at Coastal and helped lead me into my major of Health Promotion. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In my first semester at Coastal Carolina I changed my degree to Health Promotion because after being a sub chair for Relay For Life I knew that I wanted to go into the nonprofit field with a specialization of cancer related opportunities. In my field I have been able to intern at different places such as the American Cancer Society and Fidelis. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This semester I decided to change it up and pick a field that is not normally associated with cancer related institutes. I am excited to be able to work with children of different ages and get back to spending more times around horses. With my graduation coming up very soon I am looking forward to working with Fidelis for my senior level internship and getting to know everyone that is involved! </span></div>
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-Jamie</div>
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Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-54938053597161534982014-04-11T08:45:00.000-07:002014-04-11T08:45:20.109-07:00Fidelis Benefit ShowOn Sunday, April 6th, Hardee Lane Farms hosted their third annual benefit show in honor of the <a href="http://fidelisfoundationsc.com/" target="_blank">Fidelis Foundation</a>. We are beyond grateful for their support.<br />
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We were blessed with a dry day and a great turnout. Congratulations to the winners below:</div>
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Walk/Trot:</div>
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Champion: Sophie Reese</div>
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Reserve Champion: Shelby Chapman</div>
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Adult Walk/Trot:</div>
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Champion: Carolyn Murray</div>
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Reserve Champion: Karen Lesko</div>
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Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter:</div>
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Champion: Maddie Todd</div>
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Reserve Champion: Anna Gore</div>
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Walk/Trot/Canter:</div>
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Champion: Morgan Cook</div>
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Reserve Champion: Terah Lesko</div>
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Pleasure:</div>
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Champion: Madeline Canipe</div>
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Reserve Champion: Hope Leslie</div>
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Cross-Rails:</div>
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Champion: Nicolle Gillman</div>
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Reserve Champion: Eli Basile</div>
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18 inch Hunter:</div>
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Champion: Nicolle Gillman</div>
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Reserve Champion: Mary Drosieko</div>
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Equitation:</div>
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Champion: Nicole Smith</div>
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Reserve Champion: Christina Ruksenas</div>
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2 foot Hunter:</div>
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Champion: Rhett Balding</div>
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Reserve Champion: Grace Sutz</div>
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Open Hunter:</div>
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Champion: Cooper Chapman</div>
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Reserve Champion: Nicole Smith</div>
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All participants are encouraged to see the photos that were taken at the event at the following website, <a href="http://fidelisfoundationsc.photoreflect.com/">fidelisfoundationsc.photoreflect.com</a>. Make sure you order your photos, mugs, and keychains! There are a lot of unique items available! All proceeds from the photos will benefit the Fidelis Foundation.</div>
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The Fidelis Foundation is especially thankful to our judge, Libby Viau, who not only donated her time but her expertise as well. Thank you, Libby!</div>
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As we are always preaching, "it takes a village!" Our small horse community in Horry County know the benefits our equine partners provide us. With your help we are able to continue to share these beautiful animals with the at-risk youth in Horry County.</div>
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Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-72174280902449591092014-04-02T07:46:00.002-07:002014-04-02T07:46:28.797-07:00Changing Lives and Growing GardensAs some of you may know the <a href="http://www.fidelisfoundationsc.com/" target="_blank">Fidelis</a> Foundation is blessed to have Sybil Lee as part of our board. I do not remember when I first met Sybil, but I do remember hearing her name associated with many non-profits in Horry County serving the at-risk and disadvantaged. It has been 7 years since I have entered the non-profit world and I am glad to say that she and I are on the same team! Her enthusiasm is contagious! <br />
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Yesterday, she and I met at <a href="http://www.jlequinecenter.com/" target="_blank">Double C Ranch</a>, the home of Fidelis, to begin our garden. Although fearful of snakes and other creepy-crawlies I jumped right in. Double C Ranch is located on the <a href="http://www.satelliteviews.net/cgi-bin/g.cgi?fid=1226742&state=SC&ftype=stream" target="_blank">Socastee Swamp</a>. Although at times it makes for messy paddocks for our horses, it is an ideal location for a garden!</div>
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For those readers with green thumbs, the specific location on the property was chosen because it is close to water access, is on a downward slope, has some shade combined with direct sunlight, and is far enough out of the way that it will not interrupt the daily business of the barn. Here is our before photo.</div>
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As you can see, it was run over with weeds and random cinderblocks. Not to worry! We were able to use those to construct a wall on the other side. After some raking and replanting of those "weeds" we were able to find some great soil. We replanted the weeds above our garden to help with soil erosion. </div>
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The after picture looks promising! </div>
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As you can see under the hearty soil was a concrete slab. Although we don't know why it is there, it will make a great solid ground for raised beds. Also in the after picture, you can see the beginnings of a compost pile in the upper right hand side. This was constructed using 5 pallets and some left over lumber that was behind the barn! While constructing our compost pile we found a pile of angry fire ants. Did you know that <a href="http://fungardenz.com/2014/02/05/baking-soda-and-vinegar-to-get-rid-of-fire-ants/" target="_blank">baking soda and vinegar</a> will remove these pests from your yard? </div>
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This garden will provide not only a learning experience for our Fidelis riders, but also means for us to reach out into the community. The vegetables grown here will be donated to various organizations in the community, except for the carrots. I know a few horses that will be glad to munch on them right here at Double C. In the mean time we are seeking support from various community members and businesses.<br />
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Our needs list currently includes:<br />
Gloves<br />
Shovels<br />
Hoses and nozzles<br />
One raised garden bed<br />
Various vegetable seed<br />
Community members with green thumbs who wish to help!<br />
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<br />Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-70029925902783678122014-04-02T07:17:00.002-07:002014-04-02T07:17:22.816-07:00Spring has Sprung!The <a href="http://www.fidelisfoundationsc.com/" target="_blank">Fidelis</a> Family has been busy this Spring!<br />
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We started off on Sunday, March 30th with a little Spring Cleaning! As you may already know our program meets every Sunday of the month. The first four Sundays we have scheduled for various at-risk youth in our community to come out to the barn. On the occasional fifth Sunday we encourage our volunteers to come out and ride so they get to enjoy our therapy horses as well! <br />
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Unfortunately it was feeling more like January than the end of March and only three of our volunteers could join us. Before they tacked up they stepped into <a href="http://www.jlequinecenter.com/" target="_blank">Double C Ranch</a>'s tack room and did a complete make-over! Thank you to Sybil, Lucy, and Thereze for spending your Sunday with us and organizing our tack room!<br />
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<span id="goog_845284305"></span><span id="goog_845284306"></span><br />Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-20830124232761806702014-02-03T07:10:00.002-08:002014-02-03T07:10:26.220-08:00Courage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself."</div>
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L. Frank Baum, <i>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz</i></div>
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The above image and quote perfectly sum up Fidelis this past Sunday, February 2nd. Fidelis hosted Peggy's Kids and was graced with 9 courageous riders and 18 beautiful volunteers. I was lucky enough to spend my afternoon walking beside Lexington and his brave rider. As the above photo shows his rider nearly comes up to his shoulders.</div>
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Typically, we save Lexington for our older kids that join us. But not today. She sized up the magnificent Lexington and said "Nope, I want to ride him today." And you know what she did! She did a fantastic job, walking him through the obstacle course and trotting independently. The hardest part of our Sunday is always when the kids ask for one more lap around the ring and we finally have to say no. Of course the no always comes after having "one more lap" three times!</div>
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As much credit as our rider deserves, I have to give Lexington some love here too. He has been a HUGE asset to our program, and I am not just talking about in his size! He is strong enough to carry our mature riders, but sweet enough for our munchkins too! We love Lexington and would like to ask for some help from our friends.</div>
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Lexington costs our program approximately $3,000 per year in expenses. We are currently seeking sponsors for him. We need 150 of our followers to donate $20.14 to support Lexington this year. This will be a tax-deductible donation and your $20.14 will us "Change Lives, One Stride at a Time!"</div>
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For more information please visit our website at <a href="http://www.fidelisfoundationsc.com/" target="_blank">www.fidelisfoundationsc.com </a>or email us at fidelismyrtlebeach@gmail.com</div>
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Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-27583560096472668892014-01-30T16:38:00.001-08:002014-01-30T16:38:58.354-08:00Fidelis has a New Partner!<a href="http://jonasmarc.com/#/980538/Home" target="_blank">Jonas Marc Style Studio</a> has partnered with the Fidelis Foundation of Myrtle Beach!<br />
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I would like to extend a big thank you to owner Kathy Marcus for extending a warm welcome of our organization into her business' heart! Kathy has asked each of her stylists to choose a mission that is close to their heart. Lucky for us, stylist Amanda has chosen Fidelis!<br />
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This will be an excellent avenue for Fidelis. Not only will this be an avenue to share our mission but the wonderful staff at Jonas Marc will spoil six of our volunteers in 2014! <br />
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I can speak first hand of the character of Kathy Marcus and her team. Kathy has always been community oriented and I spent the morning of my wedding with her team. Her studio is in Carolina Forest in the Forest Square Shopping Center. Be sure to check it out.<br />
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I am beyond grateful for this opportunity! A special thank you to Summer and Kathy for making this possible!Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-78782498646240629312014-01-20T08:59:00.001-08:002014-01-20T08:59:14.251-08:00Charms for Change<div style="text-align: center;">
The Fidelis Foundation is really excited to share our newest fundraiser. We will be selling charm bracelets crafted from antique, silver-spoons. These bracelets are hand-made and will be custom made for you! You simply choose the charm, tell us the measurement for your wrist and send us $35.00. We accept cash, card, and checks made to the Fidelis Foundation.</div>
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This is the perfect gift for the horse-loving lady in your life. </div>
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Order by February 1st for Valentine's Day delivery. </div>
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For more information please email us at <a href="mailto:fidelismytlebeach@gmail.com">fidelismyrtlebeach@gmail.com</a>. </div>
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Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-25346201639893005222014-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-15T06:00:04.603-08:00Seacoast Ladies on January 12thDo you ever have one of those days where no matter how much you try things don't always go according to <i>your</i> "plan"?<br />
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That was the case for me this past Sunday. It was my plan to arrive thirty minutes early, bring the horses in, lay tack out and wait for our participants. However, when I pulled into the gates, I was greeted by Lake Double C, located in our arena. After some mechanical errors and a quick lesson in tractor driving from Jennifer we had a usable arena for our riders today. Before I knew it, the parking lot at Double C Ranch was full with volunteers and five young ladies from Seacoast Youth Academy. I checked the time to realize I was behind schedule. Our volunteers handled the rules and introductions with our new riders and off we went to bring in our trusty therapy horses. Unfortunately, our equine partners had other plans in mind. They were found way back in the mucky pasture. Covered in mud up to our shins we returned with four horses who were ready to teach us some lessons!<br />
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In the midst of the hustle and bustle of trying to get things started on time, I noticed myself feeling stressed. Little did I know I would be partnered with a young lady and pony who would teach me a thing or two. This young lady not only shared my name and hair color, but she too was feeling stressed! It was her first time on a horse. I could tell by the look in her eyes and her posture that she was apprehensive about riding. Horses have an amazing sense of our feelings, that is one of the many reasons they are so valuable in our program. The tension in her body was quickly sensed by Holly (the pony) who began to pull at our riders hands, take quick steps, and carry her head high, which as you can imagine only caused more worry for our rider who had never been on a horse before. <br />
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It was at this point I realized that perhaps it was my baggage that was impacting this situation. I look forward to Fidelis all week and I was not going to let time and muck ruin our day! I had our rider practice halting her horse. While we were stopped we did some deep breathing exercises. I could feel myself relaxing, I could see Holly relaxing and most importantly a smile on this young girls face. Amazing how something so small has such a huge impact! <br />
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As we continued our walk around the arena, this novice equestrian moved from gripping the horn on her saddle to riding with two hands on her reins to walking independently! And her grin only got bigger! It was an honor to see her gain such confidence in only a short period of time.<br />
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If you have not had the opportunity to join us for Fidelis I invite you to take the time out of your schedule and see what we are doing. You may not know it, but you might be the one who leaves the barn with more than you came with!Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-8388491195945257722014-01-13T11:00:00.000-08:002014-01-13T11:00:13.982-08:00Jumbles of Fun!First of all I would like to apologize for it being so long since I've last posted. Never fear, it is part of my New Years Resolution to spread the word of Fidelis so you can plan on hearing from me at least once a week!<br />
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Our youngest Fidelis riders were in for a real treat this month! On January 5th we were tickled to host Jennifer, Hans, and Morgan from Jumbles of Fun pottery! Jennifer was introduced to Fidelis from our own Kimmi Case. Originally from North Carolina, Jennifer has years of pottery and party experience! She brought many beautiful pieces of pottery for our participants to paint. It was a great way for our riders to express their creativity and be able to create a unique piece of artwork that is their own! It was beyond fun to watch them paint their horses, piggy banks, tiles, plates, and jewelery boxes. A very special thanks to Jennifer and her family for sharing their talent with us! We will be posting pictures of their completed work when it is fresh out of the kiln.<br />
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Jennifer has also been kind enough to create a mural for Fidelis. This will be an opportunity for us to sell tiles to businesses who chose to sponsor our foundation. Keep an eye out for sponsorship opportunities in 2014!<br />
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It was a great day for many of us to step out of our comfort zone and make a mucky day into great memories! Thank you to all of our community members who are making Fidelis possible!Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-30632400417507273362013-10-27T18:25:00.001-07:002013-10-27T18:25:32.706-07:00Girl PowerThis Sunday, we were blessed with beautiful weather, wonderful animals and fantastic women. Two lovely ladies from Lighthouse Care Center brought six girls to the barn. We were graced by the presence of several volunteers from diverse backgrounds.<br />
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As always, we are beyond grateful for the support we receive from our volunteers. The diversity of our volunteers provides our riders different people from whom to connect. We are so happy to have formed a connection with the Beta Club at Carolina Forest High School. These young girls act as peer mentors for our riders. We appreciate them sharing their time with us!<br />
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The girls are beginning to make progress in their riding skills. It has been fun to watch some of these ladies, who at one time were scared to even brush a horse, but are now trotting independently. As always, Maya is a great learning tool. What better way to teach leadership and communication than through a sometimes stubborn mare? I always tell our riders that we need to communicate through our bodies, with good posture and confidence and that horses and humans will take us more seriously when we do. It makes me laugh when our riders have the "ah-ha" moment and realize that sometimes in life they are the stubborn mare!<br />
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It was really exciting for me to see the willingness of our riders to give back. Today, not only did they get to participate by riding, we also had some tasks for them to do at the barn. They got to see what it takes to care for our animals. The girls put in some hard work and dug some holes for fence posts for a new pen for barn favorites, Rosie and Schooner. It is because of our volunteers and role models that they were able to see that woman can accomplish these labored tasks. Next time they are with us, they will be able to witness what their hard work was for.<br />
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It always makes me smile that we have to practically drag the kids out of the barn. It tells me that we have created a positive environment and that our horses are part of the healing process!Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-53876030039430567822013-10-21T07:47:00.000-07:002013-10-21T07:47:46.731-07:00Serving Aces for Smiling FacesThere have been some exciting happenings for the Fidelis Foundation
since my last post! First of all we are continuing to serve
approximately 30 youth each month! It is due to the outstanding efforts
of our volunteers that we are able to touch the lives of these
children.<br />
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I wanted to keep you all updated with some of the happenings occurring
on an organizational level. We are seeking accreditation from<a href="http://www.pathintl.org/" target="_blank"> PATH International</a>. We are hoping this accreditation will help us better
assist the youth, increase our likelihood for grants, and improve our
community awareness. Jennifer and I will be attending a conference in
November to begin the process.<br />
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Lastly, I wanted to invite you all to "Serving Aces for Smiling Faces," a
tennis tournament to benefit Fidelis. The event will take place on
November 16th at Prestwick Country Club. The event will begin in the
morning with breakfast provided by Chick-fil-a of Surfside. Following
breakfast some of our younger riders will trade their reins for racquets
and try some skills on the court! Following the demonstration,
participants will play in a tennis mixer. Registration is only $25.
Following game play, lunch will be held at the clubhouse courtesy of
Subway. Photographs from the tournament will be available for purchase,
a 50/50 raffle will be held and a special prize for the winners of the
tournament!<br />
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Fidelis is currently looking for court sponsorships for this event. Blue
ribbon sponsorships are available for $100 and red ribbon sponsorships
for $50. We would like to extend a special thanks to those business who
have already committed to sponsoring this event and helping us "Change
Lives, One Stride at a Time."Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-8723813751673097722013-07-29T18:18:00.000-07:002013-07-29T18:18:28.143-07:00Horses Help HealThis past weekend, Fidelis was happy to host some young men from Lighthouse Care Center and some young women from Seacoast Youth Academy. We were grateful for the wonderful turnout of volunteers. We couldn't have done it without you! It was a hot summer day and the youth enjoyed spending time with the horses as well cooling off with some popsicles.<br />
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On this particular Sunday, we spent sometime talking about our feelings. For those of you who don't know, horses wear their emotions on their sleeves. Or shall we say, <a href="http://www.thinklikeahorse.org/horse%20ears.pdf" target="_blank">ears</a>. For people who spend time with horses, we quickly learn how they are feeling without them saying a word. <br />
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For youth who are in out of home placements, sometimes due to no fault of their own, anger is an emotion they know all too well. Unfortunately for them, pinning their ears back or even kicking the people who make them angry is not an option. Often times their anger comes from a lack of control.<br />
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I spent some time having the youth create a visual representation of things that are in their control and things that are not. When riding a horse, our riders need to learn how to work with the animal in order to maintain control. This is true in other areas of their lives. They need assistance maintaining some level of control. Consider putting yourself in their shoes. Imagine going through a day when someone tells you when to get up, what to wear, what to eat, what activities you will participate in, who you will live with, and when you will communicate with your loved one. Probably not the life you imagined. It is no wonder that some of these young people feel frustrated and lack the skills to express it appropriately.<br />
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Young people need our help. At Fidelis we don't only teach them to interact with our amazing animals. We are also helping them overcome their past and learn to trust again. Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666946811983875150.post-74899311213694241982013-07-19T13:24:00.001-07:002013-07-19T13:24:01.145-07:00Welcome!Hello, my name is Nicole and I am a volunteer and board member of the Fidelis Foundation. I am excited to share information about this wonderful organization, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.<br />
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I first heard of the Fidelis Foundation when I was working at a residential home for young men in foster care. The boys were invited out to Fidelis on the fourth Sunday of each month. I was beyond excited to share horses with the youth I was working with. I had ridden horses as a kid and I remember how I felt bonding with horses and thought that it would be a great fit for some of the youth in the home.<br />
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I remember loading up the bus and driving to the barn. I heard some boys chatting about a fear of horses, some were filled with fear of stepping in manure, and some speaking fondly about riding horses in the past. When we arrived we were greeted by smiling volunteers who welcomed us to the facility. Each session began with an opening prayer, thanking the Lord for bringing us together again and providing us with the beautiful animals we would soon begin to build relationships with.<br />
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As the months went on, the talk on the bus ride turned into talk of which horse was their favorite, the smiling volunteers greeted us with hugs, and the boys turned out to be pretty good riders. However, my favorite transformation was in the boys themselves. When they left the barn they returned to the house more confident. The time they had spent with the volunteers had taught them about leadership, self-respect, and control of their emotions.<br />
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As my career changed, I knew I had to become a part of this beautiful organization and reach out to other at-risk youth in the community and I am happy to say I have done just that. I spend each of my Sunday afternoons with my Fidelis family and I am thankful that you have taken the time to learn more about our organization. Each week I will be posting about the experiences at Fidelis. I strongly encourage you to come out and see the changes we are making in these children's lives first hand!<br />
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<br />Fidelis Foundationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07735296021984953986noreply@blogger.com0