Communities Foundation of Texas has selected Equest as a North Texas Cares 2.0 grant recipient of $15,000 for its emergency response to COVID-19. The grant is designated to support emergency operations in response to the current pandemic crisis. Equest’s mission is to enhance the quality of lives for children and adults with diverse needs by bringing hope and healing through equine assisted activities and therapies.
With the generous funding, Equest is able to provide added counselor hours and dedicated outreach to provide counseling services to 20 youth and their families over the next 12 months. The nonprofit, the only center in the southern Dallas region offering equine facilitated counseling, also aims to increase the percentage of underserved clients within their community by 30 percent.
“We are grateful to Communities Foundation of Texas for championing our mission to better serve our neighbors,” says Equest CEO Lili Kellogg. “We are proud to be a part of the southern Dallas community and want to be active in its growth and development. Our staff and 30 therapy horses look forward to welcoming our neighbors!”
Founded in 1981, Equest provides equine assisted learning, therapies and counseling to children and adults with physical, cognitive, sensory, coping and learning disabilities and veterans with adjustment challenges. The services provided include physical and occupational therapy, equine facilitated counseling and equine assisted learning, therapeutic carriage driving, therapeutic horsemanship and competition. With the help of 30 therapy horses, eight instructors, four therapists, three counselors, and 700 volunteers, lives are changed for more than 2,000 served annually. Equest was the first PATH International Premier Accredited Center in Texas and remains one of the largest in the country. Equest offers an engaging volunteer program that provides 30,000 hours of direct program service opportunities each year.
In Photo: Equest Director of Development Jacquie Maddox, Communities Foundation of Texas Chief Philanthropy Officer Sarah Cotton, Equest CEO Lili Kellogg, and Equest Director of Development Christine Volkmer
Photo Credit: courtesy of Equest