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Miles of Smiles is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit
organization that offers children and adults with physical, mental,
emotional and social disabilities or injuries the benefits of
therapeutic horseback riding. The program is located in Garden
City, KS, and serves riders from throughout southwest Kansas.
The program was founded in early 1997 by Joyce
Adams, who served as the Director from 1997 through 2004, and who is
currently one of four certified instructors. In its
beginning, Miles of Smiles was operated entirely by volunteers,
but in 2005 the program has grown enough that a part time paid
manager was hired. Mile of Smiles is supported in large part by contributions from the public.
MISSION
STATEMENT
It is the mission of Miles of
Smiles to provide a safe, caring, and challenging environment where
we can provide a riding program which will stimulate and enhance the
physical and/or emotional growth of each rider. Most of all,
we will encourage each and every rider, regardless of age, sex,
color, religion, national origin or financial status to reach their
own personal potential.
Our purpose is to make available a riding
facility, appropriate horses, and professional expertise to
integrate therapeutic and recreational horseback riding purposes.
Our hope for the future is to continue to grow and serve more people
each year by developing a comprehensive program which will promote
new services and activities.
THE NORTH AMERICAN RIDING FOR THE
HANDICAPPED ASSOCIATION (NARHA)
Miles
of Smiles is a member of NARHA, which is a national nonprofit
organization that is dedicated to promoting and ensuring the safety
& quality of therapeutic riding programs. This is achieved
through education, communication, the setting & upholding of
national standards, and accreditation processes. Today,
riders, therapists, instructors, and volunteers alike recognize the
profound significance of the growing number of equine facilitated
therapies and activities represented by NARHA.
Miles of Smiles has met the criteria to become
a NARHA-certified therapeutic riding program, and is committed to
upholding the highest safety and organizational standards set forth
by NARHA. The standards help ensure that the program is safe,
that there is a means for ongoing assessment and improvement, and
that our services continue to reflect current knowledge of
therapeutic riding.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Miles of Smiles is a member of the Garden City Area Chamber
of Commerce. As the sponsor for the Chamber Breakfast in July
2005, we will be giving a presentation about Miles of Smiles at the
monthly breakfast on July 20th!
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The program is overseen by a volunteer
Board of Directors, which directs all operations of the program, and
meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:00pm at the Educational
Support Center (ESC), 1205 Fleming Street in Garden City.
Visitors are always welcome!
THE 2005 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tammy Hutcheson,
President
Tammy
was elected to the President's position in January 2005 after coming
on to the board as a member in February 2004. Tammy's goal for
this year is to re-organize Miles of Smiles to make it more
efficient, so that expansion of the program can take place in the
near future. With her contagious enthusiasm, this will
definitely be accomplished!
Outside Miles of Smiles, Tammy will start in August 2005 as an
Instructor in the Social Science Division at Garden City Community
College, teaching Psychology. She is married to Shaun Hutcheson, an auctioneer for Hutcheson Real Estate & Auction,
Inc. in Lakin, Kansas. They are the proud parents of daughter
Baylee Mae, born earlier this year.
In her spare time, Tammy enjoys tinkering in the yard on their small
farm, spending time with family and friends, and living life to it's
fullest!
Ellen
Lynn, Treasurer
Ellen is a native Californian, who after moving to Garden City,
joined Miles of Smiles in 1997 as a lesson
volunteer and board member. In 2002 she obtained her NARHA
instructor certification. In addition to teaching lessons, she
continues on the board as a co-treasurer and working to help Miles
of Smiles grow and become an effective asset to the community.
Ellen has been active with horses her whole life, and her family
spent many hours on the California show circuit with their
daughter showing in the hunter/jumper divisions. Ellen's
husband, Wayne, is a cattle buyer for Cargill Meat Solutions, and
has also been a volunteer for the program. Their daughter,
Jennifer, also volunteered with Miles of Smiles while in Garden
City, and is now working on her masters in Sports Psychology.
When not working at Western State Bank or at Miles
of Smiles, her spare time is spent on church
committees, gardening, quilting, reading, power walking, trying to
play guitar, and constantly messing with her home!
Jennifer Standley,
Parliamentarian
Amanda Frick,
Historian
Sara Brown,
Program Mgr./Volunteer Coordinator
Tiffany
Schmidt
Betty
Sheets
Earl
Rice
Jennifer Baker
Connie
Hunn
Harold
Orr
Laura Pavlak,
Newsletter
After being "recruited" by friend Sara Brown, Laura
began volunteering for the program in 1999. Having grown up
with horses, and at that time being "horseless", she
thought it would be a great organization to get involved
with. Often after leaving a therapeutic riding session, she
has felt that she had probably gotten at least as much therapy
from volunteering as the riders had from riding!
She is now very thankful for modern technology, which is
allowing her to stay involved with the program since her family
moved to Columbia, Missouri earlier this year. Laura and
her husband Tom, a computer software developer, prepares the quarterly newsletter, Mile Markers
and created the layout of this website!
Ex-Officio: Dr. Randall McVey, Vi Monical
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