Riding to make a difference

Rolling Ridge, Inc. is preparing to launch its major fund-raiser of the year, the Ride-A-Thon, where the riders who participate will be recognized for their individual achievements. This program will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2426 Narrow Gauge Road in Reidsville. 

Kathryn Davis, executive director of Rolling Ridge, said the entire community is welcome to come and support the riders and help raise money for next year. This non-profit organization is completely dependent on fund-raisers, donations and grants in order to operate.

Rolling Ridge is a place where special needs children can receive free therapy on horseback from licensed physical, occupational, and speech therapists who volunteer their time. The members of the organization who help these children are not paid and volunteer their time to the cause.

Davis said that fund-raisers like these are crucial to help cover the organization’s annual $37,000 operating budget. This includes the $3,000 needed every year to maintain eight horses, along with insurance for their trucks and other operational costs to support the therapy program.

The organization started nine years ago when Davis, a pediatric physical therapist for Rockingham County Schools, borrowed a horse to try and help a child walk. After just three sessions with the therapy horse, the child started walking. Davis said after that the phones were ringing off the hook with parents asking if their children could ride the horse.

“At that point people started donating horses, and I knew this was something I had to do,” Davis said.

Angela Jones, mother to Moriah Jones, 4, has been coming to Rolling Ridge since August of this year.

“Moriah was born at 26 weeks and she was less than a pound – she was a miracle baby,” Jones said. “She has been with therapists all her life and this program helps her a lot. It has helped her with her balance, and she is also learning how to read.”

Karen Grubbs has a son, Cole Grubbs, who has been riding horses since he was 7 years old. He is now 12.

“My son is autistic, so this helps him to build the confidence he needs, he also talks more than he normally does, and he learned to ride a three-wheeler by riding a horse,” Grubbs said. “His teacher was shocked when we said he can talk, because she had never heard him say a word. His eye contact is better, he has better coordination, and now he is saying words all the time while on the horse.”

Davis said regular insurance makes it difficult for special needs children to receive the long-term therapy care they need, and Rolling Ridge is there to fill that gap. This year the organization had 45 riders and last year there were 35 riders. Rolling Ridge gave more than $100,000 worth of free therapy to these children during 2008.

Davis said every child makes extraordinary progress, but there was one girl who stood out this year.

“There was a 3-year-old who had a traumatic brain injury and she had stopped talking completely,” Davis said. “We took her out on a horse and had her raise her right arm because her left one was paralyzed. A speech therapist would say ‘Up, up, up’ and we would parrot that back to her. All the sudden, we heard this little voice behind us say ‘Up, up, up’ and that was her. That was one of the most exciting moments I have witnessed at Rolling Ridge.”

Since that moment, the girl has started to say other words and has developed other consonant sounds, according to Davis.

David Adams, a volunteer for Rolling Ridge, drives all the way from Danville, Va., just to be there with the children.

“I just enjoy helping these kids because they bless me every day,” Adams said. “It really helps me more than I help them.”

Many volunteers have gone on to major in therapy related fields, or fields to care for animals, according to Davis. Suzanne Massey, a volunteer who also works as a teacher for Rockingham County Schools, has a daughter who volunteered and is now working to become a physical therapist for disabled children at Virginia Tech University.

“My daughter volunteered here and now she is becoming a physical therapist, so it really has an impact on those who come,” Massey said. “You notice a change in these kids from week to week and you see the effect this has on their confidence and their personality. Their parents are also so excited and proud of their children’s accomplishments here.”

Davis said Rolling Ridge also provides a much-needed support group for parents of special needs children.

“We call ourselves the Rolling Ridge family here, because we are so supportive of one another, like a family,” Davis said. “We can’t do this without the support of our community and the support of each other. Rolling Ridge is the way the world should be – people coming together from all over to help each other and encourage each other to do their best.”

Davis said event organizers hope to raise $15,000 this year from the sale of barbeque plates, raffles, a silent auction, and bake sale. The barbeque was donated from Debbie’s Catering in Reidsville and enough food will be available for 400 people. The plates will be $5 and the price includes a drink. Some vendors on site will donate a portion of their proceeds to Rolling Ridge.

For more information on the event, visit http://rollingridgeriding.org, or contact Kathryn Davis at (336) 349-4702.