July, 2021
NCEFT Hoof Beats Newsletter
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IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME
Letter from Cherie Hammer, NCEFT Development Director
The summer solstice has come and gone, and the dog days of summer will be here before you know it! Summertime is always a busy season around our barn. We have lots happening in the areas of Programs, Facilities, Staffing, and the Gala!
In the area of Programs, while therapy and adaptive riding sessions take place year-round, several seasonal programs will take place this summer, namely our OT Intensives and Happy Trails Camp. Below, read more about other new programs, namely our Employment Skills Internship Program and our Community Outreach initiatives.
In the area of Facilities, we will take advantage of the nice weather to tackle several large facility projects, the funding of which came from our recent NCEFTStrong campaign. Thank you to all the donors who stepped up to help us with our “big dig!”
In the area of Staffing, in June NCEFT welcomed Cheryl House as a new member of our Board of Directors. We also announced the hiring of a new part-time Physical Therapist, Audrey King, who will be working on Monday afternoons. In our Staff Spotlight below, read about Skylar Assaf, equestrian extraordinaire and NCEFT Horse Handler.
And near and dear to my heart, we are thrilled to announce NCEFT will be holding its 12th annual Heroes and Horses, Jewels & Jeans Gala on Saturday September 18, 2021. Plans are underway to welcome Gala guests in-person to Celebrate 50 Golden Years of NCEFT! We are seeking sponsors and underwriters now, as well as donations for auction and mystery box items. Go to www.NCEFT.org/2021Gala for more information.
As the song lyrics go:
There's a time each year that we always hold dear,
Good old summertime.
With the birds and the trees'es and sweet scented breezes,
Good old summertime.
When your day's work is over, then you are in clover,
And life is one beautiful rhyme.
No trouble annoying, each one is enjoying,
the good old summertime!
Happy summer!
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Cherie Hammer, NCEFT Development Director |
NCEFT'S OWN "BIG DIG"
NCEFTStrong Campaign Funds Major Facilities Project
Last month, NCEFT had to tackle a big, dirty job that would have made the Discovery Channel’s Mike Rowe proud. An underground drainage pipe (more than the length of a football field) connecting creeks on either side of our property had collapsed in several places, creating a large sinkhole in our upper paddock area. NCEFT owes Nick Bechwati and his crew at Express Plumbing of San Mateo a huge debt of gratitude for not only tackling this huge project and speedily making the necessary repairs, but also generously donating a portion of the work. Funds raised from NCEFT’s spring NCEFTStrong Campaign will go to underwriting the balance of the cost of the project. The campaign raised nearly half of the total expense, and it’s not too late to contribute. Go to www.NCEFT.org/NCEFTStrong to make a donation today.
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We thank all the following donors to the NCEFTStrong campaign: |
Donors in bold are members of the
Barb Heine Giving Circle for donors with lifetime giving to NCEFT of $5,000 or more.
Apple, Inc.
Tanya & Peter Birch
Mellanie & Bill Blockie
Mary Ellen Bobb
Richard & Judy Braun
Jennifer & Devin Brinkley
Faye & Emmet Brophy
Geraldine Cacianti
Terry Clark
William Clark
Caroline Cooke
Andrea & Christopher Dehner
DeHoff's Key Market
Steven Elliott
Fast Response On-Site Testing, Inc./Casey Terribilini
Genentech
Gidaro Family Philanthropic Fund
Steve & Linda Giusto
The Green Family Charitable Fund
Connie Hawkins
Edward Tuttle & Leslie Lian
Liza Jane & Malcolm Mac Naughton
Debbie & Russ Margiotta
Jennifer Morris
Patrick & Joyce Murphree
Dr. Karen Offen
Dorothy Cheung & Young Oh
Kristine Paaso
Dana & John Perine
The Perrell Family Charitable Fund
George Peters
Nicole Reich-Weisner
Adolph Rosekrans
Sylvia Ruggiero
Sue & Mike Sartor
The Scandling Family Foundation
Ingrid Smet
Jenny C. Smith
Daphne Spieker Smith
Sunset Ridge Ranch/Patricia O'Coffey
Dr. Casey Terribilini
Karie & David Thomson
Robin Toews
Janis Ulevich
Peter Van Vlasselaer & Anne Van Camp
Cindy & John Wallbrink
Richard & Martha Winters
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NCEFT'S GALA IS ON!
Join us in Celebrating 50 Golden Years!
NCEFT’s 12th annual Heroes and Horses, Jewels & Jeans Gala will be a Celebration of 50 Golden Years! Our covered arena will be filled with sparkling lights, flowers, delicious food and wine, and the hearts of NCEFT’s supporters.
Join us Saturday September 18, 2021 to celebrate our 50th anniversary of providing life-changing programs for children and adults with disabilities and challenges. The Heroes and Horses, Jewels & Jeans Gala is NCEFT’s largest fundraiser of the year, and all proceeds directly benefit NCEFT’s equine-assisted programs.
Keep an eye out for invitations later in the summer. In the meantime, we are currently welcoming Gala Sponsors and Underwriters, as well as donations of items for our Auction, Wine Pull and Mystery Boxes. Click the links below to donate.
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NCEFT LAUNCHES NEW INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Equipping Youth with Employment & Life Skills
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Recently NCEFT launched its new Employment Skills Internship Program: A nine-week program to mentor and prepare youth/young adults to transition into the workforce through a combination of working with horses and hands-on, practical experience of all aspects of NCEFT’s business. Two high school seniors have participated in the program with much success, and we look forward to their involvement with other NCEFT programs and projects. Both interns completed projects on-site as part of the program.
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Intern Will worked with NCEFT's Matt Gridley to repair and build a fence in our upper pasture as part of his internship. |
Meredith (shown here with her favorite horse, PC) is working on refurbishing the playhouse near the pasture as part of her internship. |
NCEFT WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBER
Cheryl House joins NCEFT Board in June
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In June, NCEFT welcomed a new member of the Board of Directors, Cheryl House.
Cheryl is Adobe’s VP, Chief Compliance Officer. Cheryl began her career as a Corporate Securities associate at Ware & Freidenrich, a Palo Alto law firm that is now part of DLA Piper, where she worked on IPOs, mergers & acquisitions, and public company SEC filings. In 1998, she joined Adobe as their first Corporate Securities Counsel, and at various times she has led Adobe’s Legal support for HR, Privacy, Anti-Piracy, Procurement, IT, Real Estate, Facilities, Corporate Subsidiaries, and Compliance. Cheryl has been Adobe’s Chief Compliance Officer since 2013. She also serves on the Board of Juma Ventures. Please join us in welcoming Cheryl!
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OCHO LEARNS THE ROPES
NCEFT's Newest Horse Learns his Job
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Last fall a new “little” horse came to NCEFT for trial. From his first day at the barn, Ocho has charmed everyone he has met and has earned a permanent place in our equine herd. He quickly proved himself as a hardworking and versatile horse.
He has been a part of our Mental Health & Resilience Workshops, Adaptive Horsemanship lessons, and, just a few weeks ago, donned a saddle and gave a ride to one of our clients. Finally, he has proved himself as a great NCEFT Ambassador at several events.
But wait..there’s more! NCEFT’s Barn Manager, Marty Raynor, spent time working with Ocho to teach him to drive a carriage. During a recent session of our Special Education School Program, Ocho provided a carriage ride to each student in the class, much to the delight of all the children.
Ocho is a 10-year-old Miniature Horse gelding. He is a beautiful copper dun color, with black tips on his elf-like ears. What a little-but-mighty addition to our stable!
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Skylar Assaf, Horse Handler
Skylar Assaf is an NCEFT Horse Handler and independent equine rider and exerciser. She has a passion for helping people through horse-facilitated activities and utilizes her knowledge of horsemanship to create opportunities for individuals to develop self-understanding, compassion, healing, resilience, and empowerment. She put this into action recently as the Peer-Mentor for NCEFT’s STRIDES Mental Health & Resilience Workshop for adolescents, which debuted last fall. Skylar joined NCEFT in 2017.
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We recently sat down with Skylar and asked her a few questions to get to know her better:
Cherie: Where were you born?
Skylar: Redwood City, CA.
C: How long have you been with NCEFT?
S: Since 2017
C: What's the most unique job you have ever had?
S: This one!
C: Chocolate or Vanilla?
S: It depends…if ice cream, vanilla. Anything else? Chocolate!
C: What's your favorite horse color?
S: Gray
C: What is your favorite non-horse-related activity?
S: Either figure skating or skiing.
C: iPhone or Android?
S: iPhone
C: What is the last book you read?
S: A Calculus textbook (for a class!)
C: Favorite cartoon character?
S: SpongeBob!
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OUTREACH INITIATIVES
Bringing NCEFT's Horses, Hope and Healing to New Communities
In May 2021, NCEFT established a community partnership with the St. Francis Center in Redwood City with the goal of offering educational and outdoor experiences to young people who may not normally have the opportunity to visit a Center such as NCEFT.
The 7th grade students came to NCEFT once per week for two weeks (2 hours each week) to learn about our programs, horsemanship, horse care, horse behavior, and the healing power of the human-horse relationship. They took a tour/hike around the property to meet our horses, as well as explored the Sensory Trail. They learned about horse behavior and care and practiced grooming the horses. Lastly, they all took a ride on an NCEFT horse. NCEFT surveyed the participants, and we received highly positive feedback. In particular horseback riding was the student's favorite activity of the day, and, in contrast, “leaving NCEFT” was their least favorite activity!
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