$3,000

In the past, funding has been 100% applied as scholarship funds to provide services to those who could not afford the already-reduced tuition. The last gift of $1,000 provided 10 children with the opportunity to take part in accredited, professional, therapeutic riding lessons at our facility. If awarded funding this year, this amount will expand to 30 children and adults.

Rob Housman, President ~ Harbor Churches, Byron Center, MI
Mike Larsen, Secretary ~Raven Strategic Group, resides in Zeeland, MI
Mark Donkersloot, Treasurer ~ Koops Engineering, resides in Zeeland, MI
Kathy Elhart, Director at Large ~ Elhart Motors, resides in Holland, MI
Lisa Schaap, Director at Large ~Retired, resides in Holland, MI
John Brogan, Director at Large ~ Western Theological Seminary, resides in Holland, MI
Paul Kuiper, Director at Large ~ Retired, resides in Zeeland, MI
Glenn Lowe, Director at Large ~ Retired, resides in Holland, MI
Karen Egedy-Bader ~ Self-employed, resides in Grand Haven, MI
Mark Stewart, Director at Large ~ Radley LLC, resides in Holland, MI
Mike Berarducci, Director at Large ~ JR Automation, resides in Hamilton, MI

Renew Therapeutic Riding Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a Premier Accredited Center with PATH International, the only accredited therapeutic riding center in West Michigan. The mission of Renew Therapeutic Riding Center is to enhance the well-being of individuals in our community through the physical, cognitive and emotional benefits of therapeutic horsemanship. The target population utilizing our services are both children and adults who face a variety of challenges in daily living due to a disability. Renew TRC serves clients with a wide variety of needs, including but not limited to: attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cerebral palsy, developmental delay, Down syndrome, emotional, behavioral, or mental health issues, learning disabilities, paralysis, traumatic brain injury, victims of violence, abuse or trauma, and visual impairment.
Our staff of professional certified instructors, working alongside trained volunteers from the community, as well as our equine partners who work as therapy horses, beautifully come together as a team to meet the life skill goals of each individual student. Our primary programming is weekly hour-long therapeutic riding lessons with over 80 students served each week. Students not only learn horsemanship and riding skills, they also benefit in areas such as increased muscle strength, balance, social skills, communication, self-confidence, emotional regulation, independence and so much more. Renew also partners with the community through local schools, group homes, other non-profits such as the Boys and Girls club, Escape Ministries, nursing homes, Starlight Ministries, and other support services offering children and adults a positive experience with a horse that promotes growth and positive life change. It is our goal to provide riders the opportunity to go beyond their disability, inability, fear, or reality. It is our hope to become a meaningful place where riders can belong, grow, achieve and learn, while our staff, volunteers and horses become an extended family.

We are humbly requesting $3,000 for our scholarship program. Each lesson costs $185 to conduct in order to cover our insurance, facility, horse care, professional fees, etc. Renew TRC asks each rider to pay $40 each lesson to help offset this cost. For some families this weekly cost is prohibitive to participating in Renew’s services. Scholarships help participants who cannot financially afford the lessons be able to participate. Renew TRC currently 30% of riders scholarships. Scholarship funding goes directly to off-set the costs of running a therapeutic riding center and allows students to have access to the services provided at Renew through either full or partial scholarships.
Scholarships allow students to participate regardless of their ability to pay and helps us continue to offer therapeutic horsemanship to community members with disabilities. This meets our goal of enhancing the wellbeing of individuals in our community through the physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits of therapeutic horsemanship.
Offering additional scholarships not only positively impacts our riders, it also impacts our volunteers and the wider community. Over 140 volunteers from the community come each week to Renew to work with our riders and help with the care and maintenance of our horses and barns. Volunteers comment that they come intending to give of themselves through their service, but in return, they gain more than they give as they work with the students. As a result, the community is impacted positively towards greater inclusion and increased awareness of the needs of others. We anticipate this benefit to continue to ripple through the Holland and Zeeland communities in a positive, hopeful way.
Increasing the amount of scholarship money allows us to serve more community members and see the positive change in the lives of our riders and volunteers and thus creating more ripples of positive inclusion and positive change in people’s lives and in our community.

By design, Renew TRC is committed to upholding the highest financial standards. Funding has always come from a combination of lesson fees (25%) and various types of donations and grants (75%). Renew TRC does not receive any government grants. Of the donations raised yearly, 80% are from individuals and 20% are from organizations, corporations or foundations.

For those who are able to pay, we charge $40 per lesson. For those who are unable to pay, Renew TRC offers full or partial scholarships. Renew does not turn away riders due to their inability to pay for lessons. For those who cannot afford services at Renew, we are committed to fundraising to be able to continue to offer scholarships to enable riders to continue to participate and benefit from our services.

Renew Therapeutic Riding Center believes that all should have the opportunity to live life to the full, and it is our mission to come alongside our students and provide them opportunities to grow and learn in order to reach their full potential in a caring and safe environment. The cost of running an equine therapeutic riding center is high. The benefits experienced by our riders and volunteers is even higher. Being able to offer our students scholarships enables us to carry on this mission and to continue to make a difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our community through the unique partnership possible in horse-human relationships. Renew TRC offers a place of safety, acceptance, encouragement, support and community for those who are differently abled and those who may be living in the margins. Our request of $3,000 for our scholarship program would allow 30 riders with disabilities the opportunity to experience the benefits of therapeutic riding. Our scholarship fund removes barriers so that new and existing riders are able to access the various services Renew TRC offers to the community. Your help in this way would be most appreciated, and would open doors for many who struggle daily to have access to alternative therapeutic services that can change their life for the better. Thank you for your kind consideration.

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