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Gail Magnuson-Kowalski!!
How did you find out about SMILES and how long have you been volunteering here?
I started volunteering at SMILES about nine years ago. I met Barb Bobbi at an exercise class in Janesville. She was wearing a SMILES T-shirt, I was intrigued by the logo, asked her about the organization, retirement was just around the corner and I was looking for volunteer possibilities. Over the next couple of months Barb spoke of the wonderful things happening at SMILES. A month after I retired, I visited, fell in love with the organization and started volunteering.
Tell us who your favorite SMILES horse is and a special memory you have with them:
There are so many wonderful horses at SMILES. My favorite two were from a while back: Stanley and Tapper. Stanley was handsome and loving, he would always come for a pet when I called his name. Tapper was a stinker….literally. He would be lovely while I groomed him but when it came to cleaning his hooves, he would put all his weight on the hoof I was trying to clean, if I shifted to the other side, he would shift his weight to that hoof. I always had to get someone else to finish the job.
What is a memory with a horse, client, another volunteer at SMILES that you treasure?
There are so many individual memories that will remain with me from SMILES but the kindness, caring and love I see from staff and volunteers towards clients and towards each other are the memories that will stay with me.
What is the best part of volunteering at SMILES for you?
The moment you turn into the driveway of SMILES you know that you will be greeted with joy and happiness just because you are there. The volunteers I work with are some of the finest people you would ever want to know. I feel blessed that a T-shirt, I questioned about so many years ago, led me to this place, these people, these clients and most especially these horses.
Do you think any of our SMILES horses reminds you of a famous celebrity and why?:
I can’t think of any horse/celebrity connections but there are a few horsey personalities (exhibited now and then) that remind me of students from my former life (all stemming from a place of love).
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