LoveWay, Inc. Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Midd

January Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:11:00 +0000

John Bossler

Background
John was born in Pennsylvania and ended up in Edwardsburg Michigan after moving around the country a few times. He has been married to his wife Allison for 41 years, has 3 kids, 10 grandkids, and one dog named Izzy. He is a retired VP of operations from Siemens and had a horse farm for a number of years.

Time volunteering
He has been helping with classes here for two years-since January 2008

Why he began to volunteer
John says he started helping at LoveWay because he likes horses and kids. He had a horse farm for a large part of his life and missed being around the horses.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Working with the younger kids in class is John’s favorite thing about LoveWay. He likes all the feedback they give during class.

Favorite Horse
Shanna is John’s favorite horse at LoveWay. She is nice and easy-going so he really enjoys working with her.

First Memory of LoveWay
John remembers one of his first classes as a volunteer here. He was working with a child that was around 6 years old that was non-verbal. While the student was riding, his horse stumbled and startled the student. He shouted “whoopee” which was the first word he had ever spoken. The child’s mother was watching the class and broke down in tears because she was so happy to hear her child speak.

In his spare time
Not only does John volunteer with us at LoveWay but he is also an active volunteer for CASA of Cass County. He likes to garden and golf and spend time with his grandkids in his spare time.

LoveWay on WSBT

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:04:00 +0000

LoveWay was recently covered on the evening news on WSBT. Click the following link to check it out!
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/80764142.html

LoveWay to offer winter horse camps

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Enrollments are now open for winter horse camp at LoveWay, Inc.’s heated barn and arena. Camps are open to any child without a disability that is between the ages of 6-14 years old. Campers will enjoy a 3-day mini camp that is filled with English style horseback riding, safe handling, nutrition, care, equine physiology, and crafts. Camps are limited to six riders per session to ensure individualized attention to each participant.

Campers can choose to attend any of the 4 different sessions being offered.
Session 1: December 21-23 from 9:00am-12:00pm
Session 2: December 21-23 from 1:00pm-4:00pm
Session 3: December 28-30 from 9:00am-12:00pm
Session 4: December 28-30 from 1:00pm-4:00pm

The cost of camp is $150. Contact Erica Furkis, Program Manager at (574) 825-5666 or programs@lovewayinc.org to request forms or more information.

LoveWay is also looking for experienced horse handlers to volunteer as buddies for these campers as well. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old to assist with camps. Anyone interested in helping should contact Aimee Niles, Volunteer Coordinator for more information at (574) 825-5666 or info@lovewayinc.org

October Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Jim Welz

Background
Jim grew up in northwest Pennsylvania where he met his wife while attending high school. After a series of moves, they ended up living in Goshen. He has 3 children and retired as the Vice President of Sales from Philips in Elkhart.

Time volunteering
He came to LoveWay in April 2007.

Why he began to volunteer
Jim’s grandson was the one who got him interested in volunteering. He used to ride at a therapeutic riding center in Connecticut so it inspired Jim to get involved here.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Jim likes it that the kids that ride here are so happy. He says he always ends up walking out happier than he came in because their happiness is so contagious.

Favorite Horse
He likes Spike the best because he is little and spunky. He says he can relate to his hair issues too.

First memory of LoveWay
Jim remembers feeling like he was in over his head and not qualified to help in class when he first started here. He didn’t know exactly how to work with the students or how much to help them. Chris the instructor for his class reassured him and encouraged him to stick with it. After a rough first semester things got better and he’s glad he stuck around.

In his spare time
Jim’s favorite thing to do is golf in his free time. He is a member at Maplecrest in Goshen and usually plays golf at least 5 times a week when the weather is nice. He also enjoys visiting his grandkids in Chicago and Minneapolis.

Horses in Costumes

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:46:00 +0000

With Halloween coming up this weekend, the riders in Erica's able bodied lesson got the chance to dress up last Tuesday. The girls came dressed in costumes and brought outfits for their horses to wear as well. Pictured above from left are: Alyssa Hart & Leaka-ballerinas, Shelby Greis & Sam-Leprechauns, Kinsey Fisher & AJ-Leprechauns, and Melissa Stees & Babe-Cowgirls. The girls had a great time dressing up their horses who didn't seem to mind their crazy outfits.

Fall Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:47:00 +0000

For our fall fundraiser, LoveWay is partnering with PartyLite to sell candles and we need your help! LoveWay earns 50% of each dollar sold so this has the potential to raise a lot of much needed funds. You don't have to have any parties or make any commitments. All you need to do is pass a brochure along to 5 people you know. If 100 people sell at least 5 items, LoveWay can raise $5,000! You can also purchase single candles for yourself too. Don't forget, these candles make great gifts! Order forms can be picked up in the commons room. The candle sale runs until the end of October so don't wait to place your orders!

September Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Kim Huffman

Background
Kim currently lives in Goshen with his wife of 37 years Janet and is the Pastor at Goshen Christian Church. He grew up in Wabash County on a dairy farm and attended Bible College in Cincinnati. Kim has 2 children, 1 grandson and a granddaughter on the way.

Time volunteering
Kim has been helping at LoveWay since September of 2005

Why he began to volunteer
An ad in the newspaper sparked his interest in helping at LoveWay. He had recently moved to the Goshen area and was looking for some volunteer work to do. He had a horse when he was growing up and missed being around them. Here he gets to have a horse without all the expense.

Favorite memory about LoveWay
Kim remembers working with a student that was really afraid of the horses when he first started riding. By the end of the semester, the student really enjoyed riding and cried because he was sad that he didn’t get to come back.

Favorite Horse
Nibbles was his favorite because she was the first horse he worked with here.

First memory of LoveWay
When he first started here he was just “thrown into it” because LoveWay was so short on volunteers at the time and needed help so badly. He says it was about 6 weeks before he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

In his spare time
Kim enjoys fishing and working with the Boy Scouts when not volunteering. He also likes to spend time with his 2 ½ year old grandson Trevor. He collects cans at his church for our can drive as well.

August Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Barb Welty

Background
Barb grew up in Northern Michigan and
attended Goshen College. This is where she
met her husband Arlen. She has two sons that
are currently in high school and one dog.

Time volunteering
She began volunteering at LoveWay in
August 2007

Why she began to volunteer
Barb has volunteered with other organizations before and always thought it was important to get involved. Her kids are older now so she had some extra time and likes kids and animals so thought LoveWay might be a good fit for her.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Her favorite thing about LoveWay is the kids. She says they are “so much fun” and have a different way of looking at things than adults do.

Favorite Horse
Her favorite horse in our barn is Shanna because she is very responsive and she likes her attitude.

First memory of LoveWay
Barb admits she was a bit nervous to start volunteering since she doesn’t have any horses of her own. She had grown up with cattle but wasn’t sure how horses would react in this kind of situation. She is a health educator so she was not nervous to start working with the kids.

In her spare time
When not helping with things at LoveWay, Barb enjoys gardening, backpacking, and reading.

July Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Arlen Welty

Background
Arlen grew up in Lebanon, Oregon where he lived
1 hour from the mountains and 1 hour from the
coast. He moved to Indiana with his parents when
he was younger. He attended Goshen College
for Biology/Secondary Education where he met
his wife Barb.

Time volunteering
He began volunteering at LoveWay in August 2007

Why he began to volunteer
He lives close and frequently drives by so he’s always known it was here. He was looking for opportunities for his sons to help and get involved in the community and thought it might be an interesting experience for him to work with the kids and animals.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Arlen says his favorite thing about LoveWay is getting to work with such a diverse group of kids. He enjoys getting to know them and their different personalities.

Favorite Horse
His favorite horse in our barn is Shanna because of her “timid acceptance”. He says she is great because she can do just about anything with any rider.

First memory of LoveWay
Arlen remembers being a little apprehensive about volunteering because he wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting in to or what to expect.

In his spare time
He enjoys singing, playing the guitar and piano, gardening, hiking, and building things (carpentry).

15th Annual Ride-A-Thon Trail Ride

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Saturday, August 29th

LoveWay really needs your support to make our Ride-A-Thon a success this year! Join us on August 29th as the Elkhart Exchange Club will be serving “all-you-can-eat” pancakes with sausage and libation for $5 from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the LoveWay facility which is located at 54151 County Road 33, Middlebury. The pancake breakfast is open to the public and all proceeds benefit LoveWay, Inc. These guys know how to make a mean pancake so come check it out!

Local horse owners are welcome to bring their horses and participate in the trail ride. Registration fee is $45 and includes horse watering bucket, bandana, hot lunch and door prize ticket. Participants are encouraged to collect pledges from friends and family. Any rider bringing in a minimum $100 is eligible for the grand prize drawing of a $300 gift certificate courtesy of Troyer’s Saddlery, Shipshewana and will also receive a lead rope and Ride-A-Thon t-shirt.

Middlebury resident and LoveWay founder, Sandy Weatherwax is this year’s Grand Marshall for the ride. Many years of hard work and slow growth have since resulted in the LoveWay that exists today. Sandy is being sponsored by Welch Packaging Group.

Mykale Canter has also been chosen as the 2009 Ride-A-Thon Child. He is one of our current riders and has made great strides since beginning his lessons. Sandy & Mykale will be honored at this year’s Ride a Thon lead-off ceremony at the LoveWay facility. This event is open to the public and anyone wanting to wish them well is invited to attend the 9:00 a.m. presentation.

The Grand Marshall and Ride-A-Thon Child will ride on a horse drawn tram from Bonneyville Carriages to lead the ride at 9 a.m. for the ten-mile off-road trail through the Middlebury countryside.

Registration forms are available from info@lovewayinc.org or 574-825-5666 or the morning of the ride beginning at 7:30 a.m.

A 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization, LoveWay’s mission is to change the lives of individuals with disabilities through the use of therapeutic equestrian services. Over 250 children and adults with special needs are served each year. More information may be found by visiting LoveWay’s Facebook Page or by calling LoveWay’s Volunteer Coordinator, Aimee Niles at 574-825-5666.

See you at the ride!!

June Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Mrs. L

Background
Mrs. L currently teaches two sign language classes at LoveWay.

Time volunteering
She began volunteering in October 2009

Why she began to volunteer
She likes horses, although she doesn’t know a lot about them. She thought this would be a good place to learn. She also wanted a chance to share her knowledge of sign language with people who could benefit from it.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Mrs. L's favorite thing about LoveWay is the friendliness of the people here. She says everyone cares about what they are doing, which isn’t the case at every organization. She really enjoys spending time here and feels that LoveWay is a peaceful place to be.

Favorite Horse
She has two favorites-Sam and Josie. She likes Josie because she likes to hear people talk and Mrs. L likes to talk to the horses when she’s in the barn.

First memory of LoveWay
She came to LoveWay interested in learning about horses and sharing her knowledge of sign language.

In her spare time
Mrs. L likes to read all types of books in her spare time.

May Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Charlie Osborn Background
Charlie grew up in Goshen where he lived for
27 years until he joined the Navy. After serving
for four years, he returned to the area and
currently lives in Elkhart as he has for the
past 30 years.

Time volunteering
He started volunteering in January of 2009.

Why he began to volunteer
Charlie says his friend and one of LoveWay’s current volunteers Jim Baxter encouraged him come out and see what we were about. He says he’s always enjoyed working with kids and thought it would be a good experience.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
His favorite thing about LoveWay is the love of the kids. He likes seeing them progress and having fun too. He also enjoys getting to know all the horses.

Favorite Horse
Charlie says it is a tie between Spike and Shanna for his favorite horse.

First memory of LoveWay
He anticipated having lots of fun on his first day at LoveWay and Charlie says it has been a fun experience for him so far.

In his spare time
When not helping in class, participating in our sign language class, or grooming horses and cleaning stalls here at LoveWay, Charlie also volunteers at the Elkhart General Hospital as a Red Coat. He likes to ride his bike and watch educational TV too.

Leading with Feeling

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:12:00 +0000

LoveWay is beginning a new program called "Leading with Feeling" for groups that want to work on team building.

Participants will learn how working with horses can teach you to be a stronger leader in the workforce. Horses are fantastic at reading body language and can determine the ability of the person working with them. They are outstanding mirrors of the person training them and can help teach new skills and techniques that will cross over into any area. By tuning into ourselves, and making changes with our attitude and skills, we can learn how to become a strong yet tactful leader. This is a ropes course, a team building exercise and a great way of learning in an outside of the box environment. The class will cover trust issues, how to apply pressure, taking the time it takes, and how to tune into body language. The horses will be the teachers and Amanda Pierce will guide the program.

The class will run around 5 hours long, and can be customized to the group of people that you are sending. A consultation with Amanda will be included to talk about any questions you may have and to properly prepare you for this exciting opportunity. Lunch is included and we will schedule breaks.
The instructor for the course Amanda Pierce started riding at the age of 10. She spent her childhood on horseback and moved from Indiana to California at the age of 16. In California she worked with many top west coast horseman, and she was able to see how large top notch horse facilities were run. She took a one year apprecticeship program in stable management to pursue her passion full time. From there she managed a team of 22 polo ponies for a full season in New Zealand working with a professional polo player. Working with the horses were always a high priority, but Amanda soon began to realize that you had to be able to manage the owners as well. In this line of business you must be able to work with the people as well as the horses.

Upon returning to the midwest, Amanda worked in manufacturing, management and sales. She worked her way up from the bottom, so she has a unique perspective as to what it is like to be on both ends of the workforce. She believes that a good leader is an effective communicator, and that in the current era that we live, people do not practice these skills. Her emphasis is to never stop learning and always try to understand that every action will produce a reaction.

Amanda resides in Union Michigan with her husband and business partner Terry Pierce, and two sons Carter and Satchel. She runs a small private horse facility and teaches private lessons in practical horsemanship on and off farm. She takes lessons herself and enjoys her horse and mule. In her free time she runs with her family, and enjoys skiing in the off season with her boys.

April Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Jim Yoder

Background
Jim grew up near SR 120 where he attended a
one room country schoolhouse. He was in the
1st class to graduate from York Elementary
School. He currently lives in Goshen with his
wife. He retired from Troyer Products after 20 years.

Time volunteering
He started volunteering in January of 2006.

Why he began to volunteer
He was looking for something to keep him busy and knew that LoveWay needed help. He thought it was a worthwhile organization and decided to give it a try.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
Jim says his favorite thing about LoveWay are the kids. They are all very special and he likes to see them having such a good time.

Favorite Horse
Sam is Jim’s favorite horse at LoveWay because he doesn’t have many bad habits. He usually does what you tell him to do. He also likes all the hair that Sam has.

First memory of LoveWay
Jim remembers being eager to get started and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. He’d had horses most of his life but didn’t really have much experience with kids except for his own.

In his spare time
He likes to hunt, fish, and mushroom hunt. He also likes engines a lot and has two antique tractors: 1939 John Deere B and 1940 Farmall A. He likes spending time with his wife, 3 children, and his grandchildren.

March Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:15:00 +0000

LaVon Bontrager

Background
LaVon grew up in the Millersburg-Goshen area and is the oldest of 7 kids.

Time volunteering
He started to volunteer with us at the beginning of March.

Why he began to volunteer
He likes being and working outside and likes being around horses. His girlfriend is one of our class volunteers and suggested that he come to LoveWay and see if we had anything he could help with.

Favorite thing about LoveWay
LaVon says he likes having somewhere to go with a purpose. He gets bored just sitting around at home and enjoys being able to come here and be outside and work with the horses while helping others.

Favorite Horse
He likes all the LoveWay horses but says if he had to pick his favorite; it would be a tie between Sam and Lexi.

First memory of LoveWay
He says he was ready to get to work on all the things that needed to be done here.

In his spare time
When he’s not at LoveWay, which really isn’t that often, LaVon says he likes to catch up on sleep. He also likes to go fishing and ride horses as well.

February Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Stephanie Eyer

Background
Stephanie was born and raised in the Goshen area. She currently lives with her mom, dad, brother, and dog.
Time volunteering
She started helping with our program
in March 2004.
Why she began to volunteer
Steph saw an ad in the local newspaper about
LoveWay. Since she couldn’t have horses of her own she came here to get her horse fix.
Favorite memory about LoveWay
Getting the privilege of dumping wheel barrows and putting lime in the stalls was a big deal for Stephanie. She liked getting the added responsibility and the ability to help wherever she could. She also used to enjoy brushing the horses’ mane and tails-which she used to do for hours when she first started.
Favorite Horse
She said it’s a toss-up between her favorite two horses. When she first came she was assigned to work with Skeeter and she became very fond of him and worked with him every week. She also liked working with Nibbles because since she was blind, the horse was very trusting. It was also the horse that Steph first learned to ride.
First memory of LoveWay
Stephanie remembers working with Skeeter who was blind in one eye. The first day she was here a schooling rider taught her how to groom using Skeeter who happened to be very sore that day. After standing very quiet for the grooming, the horse laid it’s head on the schooling rider’s shoulder. Steph thought it was really cute.
In her spare time
Steph will be graduating from Northridge High School this June. She currently volunteers at LoveWay five days a week in the afternoon and on Monday evenings. She also just started volunteering at Keystone RV Company in their maintenance department where she is practicing her welding skills. She just applied for an apprenticeship at the Pipe fitters Union and is waiting to hear back for an interview. She likes to play with her dog Corky and ride on her dad’s 2005 Heritage Soft-tail Harley Davidson Motorcycle too.

Loveway, Inc. Video Online

noreply@blogger.com (gocreekside) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:57:00 +0000

We've added our DVD video to the site. You can now view Loveway, Inc.'s impact in the community from our website. Click on the image below to view the Flash video file.

CountrySupply.com Country Care Program for Loveway, Inc.

noreply@blogger.com (gocreekside) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Shop at CountrySupply.com and use our care code "lovewayinc".

Loveway, Inc. receives a percentage of the proceeds from your purchase.

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Please Visit our Facebook Cause Site and Donate if you Are Able

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/236819/27746596?m

Thank You.

Tracey

Ben Bouwkamp Warming Up For His Upcoming Show at Cheff Equestrian Center

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Pictured here, Ben Bouwkamp is warming up with his mare, "Shana" in preparation for their upcoming participation in a show at Cheff Equestrian Center in Michigan. Ben will be traveling to Cheff center this weeked with his Instructor and friend, Erica Reid-Furkis, to compete. Good luck Ben!

Saddle-Up and Join the Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Riding Classes for Able-Bodied Children Begin April 14th!

Click Below to print our brochure:

Lessons%20for%20Able-Bodied%20Children.pdf

LoveWay Hopes to Offer a Host of Services to Able- Bodied Individuals, Groups and Corporations

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:29:00 +0000

In an effort to help us sustain our mission of providing free therapeutic equestrian services for children with special needs, LoveWay hopes it will soon be offering a whole host of fee-based services that will be open to able-bodied individuals as well. Proceeds from these services will be re-directed toward our programs serving children with disabilities.

Presently our instructors are working to brainstorm and hammer out lesson plans, schedules and strategies that will enable us to deliver services that are not only instructive, but moreover, holistic in their approach to horsemanship.

At LoveWay, our instructors understand that horses are intuitive creatures, and that as such they can do more than just give trail rides and be the beasts of burden; horses can teach us about ourselves. It is this understanding that drives our instructors to want to create programming that seeks not merely to teach a skill, but also, to broaden our sense of who we are and how we behave in relation to others and where we stand in the larger context of world as we seek to live balanced, focused, productive and contented lives.

Our hope is that the services being developed will include programs such as centered riding classes for beginners, natural horsemanship workshops, trail-rides, and "Horsekeeping 101" classes. All classes and experiences will be offered at a very competitive fee.

LoveWay is also currently exploring the merits and possibilities of implementing equine experiential learning programs and retreats focused upon team-building and problem-solving for corporations and groups.

Instructor, Erica Reid, is in the midst of preparing a tentative course list and fee schedule and hopes to be able to have a program up and running as early as April 1st of 2009. We expect these classes are going to fill up very quickly so please contact Erica as soon as possible for more details.

Happy Trails!

Tracey Malesa Wheaton
Executive Director / LoveWay

January Volunteer of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:35:00 +0000

SALLY MCFARREN was recently chosen as our volunteer of the month for January 2009. Read below to find out more about Sally. Don't forget to cast your vote for next month's exceptional volunteer!
Background
Sally grew up in the Goshen area where her dad was a Goshen City Police Officer. When she met her husband and got married she moved to New Paris where she currently lives. She was a Saddle Club Leader for 8 years and has 3 horses of her own. Sally volunteers in classes here and is also a schooling rider, keeping our horses in shape.
Time volunteering
She has been a volunteer at LoveWay since January 1999
Why she began to volunteer
Sally says she began helping here because she liked kids and horses. She was at point in her life where she was considering volunteering and helping others and decided to give LoveWay a try.
Favorite memory about LoveWay
Her favorite memory at LoveWay happened with a little girl Sally says is her inspiration. When the girl came last year for her lesson, she was very afraid. Sally had to hold her hand to go to the barn and the girl started trembling when she touched the horse because she was so afraid. Sally noticed the girl getting braver and braver each time she came for her lesson. One day, she walked in and pet her horse and exclaimed, “I did it!” Sally says she remembers the little girl when she is going through rough times in her life and thinks that if the little girl can overcome her obstacles and fears then so can she. The little girl started out riding with just a bare back pad and has adjusted very well. She now rides in a saddle and Sally can see big improvements from when she first began.
Favorite Horse
Babe is Sally’s favorite horse because she is fun to ride and is very obedient when she’s being schooled.
First memory of LoveWay
She remembers being a little bit apprehensive on her first day at LoveWay because she had never worked with kids with disabilities before. She says she has now come to love them all.
In her spare time
Sally’s horses take up a lot of her spare time. She takes care of her 3 horses by herself (with a little help from her husband on larger tasks). She likes riding her horses and helping kids in Saddle Club. She is currently working with 2 kids in the club.

Welcome to the LoveWay Blog Site!

noreply@blogger.com (LoveWay Administration) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Welcome to the new Loveway Blog Site

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Greetings from the New Executive Director

Dear Friends

Welcome to the new LoveWay Blog Site!

We are excited about this opportunity to share with you all the latest developments evolving at our facility and hope that you will join the conversation with your suggestions, ideas and expertise.

As the new Executive Director of LoveWay, I am positively honored to have this opportunity to put all of my knowledge and experience (both with horses and with individuals with disabilitites) into the efforts of this fantastic agency.

In the years to come I hope to continue to both expand and build upon the agency mission set forth by the Weatherwax family who founded this program in 1974, and I will be relying upon your ideas and the ideas of all of our constituents to help shape this program's future.

It is my hope that is blog site will provide us all with an up-beat forum in which to exchange ideas, to educate one another, and to begin conceptualizing plans for services that are first-class.

Thank you for visiting our site.

Blog freely and often!

Best wishes

Tracey Malesa-Wheaton

Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Middlebury, Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (gocreekside) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

LoveWay's primary focus is on therapeutic horseback riding and our mission is to "Change the lives of challenged children by MAXIMIZING their abilities and minimizing their disabilities". We have provided classes for small groups of kids for more than 30 years and have become one of the oldest of over seven hundred therapeutic riding centers across the nation. We serve hundreds of individuals with disabilities annually from our northern Indiana facility. Our facility is located in the quiet, wooded hills between Bristol and Middlebury on 29 acres. We offer comprehensive, year-round services.

The smiles, the communication, the break throughs... We love our work and our kids.

Daytime classes are provided for Elkhart area schools and evening and Saturday morning classes are available for other individuals. We invite you to contact our Program Manager for enrollment information.