Please join us in congratulating our new volunteer of the month, Caroline. Volunteer Services Manager, Michele Gingras comments, “When Caroline comes to volunteer, she brings with her enthusiasm and happiness along with her warm and bubbly personality. It has been nice getting to know Caroline over the past couple of years, and I enjoy the stories and pictures she shares with me of her adventures and family.”
Why we love her: Caroline checks off all the boxes: She is a leader, sidewalker, barn steward, event preparation volunteer, and poop scooper!
Path to The Shea Center: “Over 20 years ago, I volunteered at the Fran Joswick Center when the disabled child of a friend of mine rode there.”
Years of Service: I began volunteering at what is now The Shea Center in 2020 after COVID shut down my opportunity to lease a horse from Shea adaptive riding instructor Alice Krezymon. After she shared her experiences teaching at Shea, I decided to take a volunteer training course. I had done years of fundraising for organizations and wanted a change. I knew my passion was with horses.”
Lessons learned: “I have ridden and worked with ponies and horses since I was about six. I thought I knew a lot about horses. However, in the first session of volunteer training, I realized there was a lot more I didn’t know as I learned ‘The Shea Way.’ This finely tuned approach practices extraordinary methods of care and safety for the horses, riders, and the people alongside the horses. I still find nuances to methods I have used for years that need to be adjusted to The Shea Way. I never knew there were so many different pieces of equipment for therapeutic riding. I’ve also learned how to dismount a rider in an emergency.”
Favorite Shea Center memories: “Watching children riding for the first time in ‘puppy dog’ (on hands and knees) and facing backward. I was so impressed watching a lady in her 80s with balance challenges riding independently with such grace and confidence.”
When not at The Shea Center, she can be found doing this: “Horses have always been my passion. When I’m not working with horses, I enjoy family time, playing tennis, hiking, reading, and having friends over for dinner. I love to cook and work in my garden.”
She finds her bliss…: “I find it in the faces of the clients as they find happiness through riding. When I am leading a horse, I relish the sounds of joy from the riders and their accomplishments. Every time I come to Shea I find that everyone who is there is so grateful for the opportunity to be there!”
