Through an Intern's Eye: Searching for my Replacement

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.

Here is our booth at Coastal Carolina University's 2014 Health, Hospitality and Recreation Internship Fair

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.

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!

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!

Through an Intern's Eye: October 20th

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Through an Intern's Eyes: Fall Fun!

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. 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.

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!

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.

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!

Behind the Scenes: Through an Intern's Eye

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.

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 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.

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!

The last thing that is very important is all the work being done by everyone for the 2nd 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!

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.

Through an Intern's Eye: September 7th

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! 

19 volunteers, 11 riders and 5 horses!  It was a full barn!

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 the ring, Lexington was very happy to be groomed and walked around by participants who weren't riding.  

The participants who were riding worked with trained volunteers to develop 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 on a horse and in no time they were steering, halting and even trotting!

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 from the organization. 

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 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."  Throughout the two hours at the barn each rider was able to groom, ride, play horseshoes and discover some things they like about themselves. 

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!

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 part of this great group of people!

So long, until next week. - Jamie

Meet Jamie

This post is written by our latest edition to the Fidelis team.  Jamie has joined us for the Fall semester and brings a lot of knowledge about fundraising.  We are looking forward to teaching him about equine assisted learning and learning some tricks 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!

Hello,

Jamie Relays for his Mom.
He is excited to work with Fidelis for the kids!

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. 

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. 

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. 

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! 

-Jamie

Fidelis Benefit Show

On Sunday, April 6th, Hardee Lane Farms hosted their third annual benefit show in honor of the Fidelis Foundation.  We are beyond grateful for their support.

We were blessed with a dry day and a great turnout.  Congratulations to the winners below:

Walk/Trot:

     Champion:  Sophie Reese

     Reserve Champion:  Shelby Chapman

Adult Walk/Trot:

     Champion:  Carolyn Murray

     Reserve Champion: Karen Lesko

Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter:

     Champion: Maddie Todd

     Reserve Champion:  Anna Gore

Walk/Trot/Canter:

     Champion:  Morgan Cook

     Reserve Champion:  Terah Lesko

Pleasure:

     Champion:  Madeline Canipe

     Reserve Champion:  Hope Leslie

Cross-Rails:

     Champion:  Nicolle Gillman

     Reserve Champion:  Eli Basile

18 inch Hunter:

      Champion:  Nicolle Gillman

      Reserve Champion:  Mary Drosieko

Equitation:

      Champion:  Nicole Smith

      Reserve Champion:   Christina Ruksenas

2 foot Hunter:

      Champion: Rhett Balding

      Reserve Champion: Grace Sutz

Open Hunter:

      Champion: Cooper Chapman

      Reserve Champion: Nicole Smith

All participants are encouraged to see the photos that were taken at the event at the following website, fidelisfoundationsc.photoreflect.com.  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.

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!

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.