Do you Volunteer?

Buck Brannaman and his young mare

I have always had the desire to volunteer. I did a lot of it as a high school student. When I became an adult, however, there was always some excuse. I was always too busy! First it was school, then my job. Now I make my own schedule. I have no excuse. So what is my problem? Perhaps I just needed the right motivation.

I was an avid rider as a teen and young adult, taking and teaching riding lessons for years. More recently, I had been riding with my sister out at her farm in Enumclaw, however, since an injury in 2007, I have not been able to ride and have been largely out of the horse world. I have really missed the community. I have recently started reading up on techniques and following certain horse people such as Buck Brannaman and Monty Roberts through their websites and on Facebook. They are the horsemen I admire most. Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to help sell CD’s to benefit Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center at the sold out Buck Brannaman Horsemanship Clinic in Spanaway, Washington. I jumped at the opportunity! It was wonderful to talk to horse people again, to meet new people, and to sell a few CD’s to support a great organization. What an amazing opportunity. I made a friend and I learned a lot from Buck while I marveled at his young mare performing “difficult” maneuvers after just 36 rides.

The whole experience inspired me in a couple of ways. I was inspired to become a better, more confident and capable rider. More importantly, I was inspired to become a regular volunteer at Little Bit in Woodinville, Washington. Since I was a teenager I have had the desire to volunteer there to help children and adults, with a wide range of disabilities, through equine therapy. This unique organization helps hundreds of people and has an enormous wait list. They are even expanding at a new location in Redmond, WA; scheduled to be completed around January 2012. If you are interested in volunteering with Little Bit; you can find out more information on their website at www.littlebit.org. Click on the “Volunteers” tab near the top of the page and follow the instructions for who to contact in order to sign up for the orientation and training classes.

If you don’t think you have the time right now, but would like to help out; they are currently accepting donations. You can donate money or even horses, tack, or they have a “wish list” of many other items to help the center run smoothly.

Maybe horses aren’t your thing, maybe you’d prefer dogs, or perhaps you don’t like animals at all. For a list of volunteer opportunities in the area go to:volunteer.truist.com/uwsc/volunteer/ for the United way of Snohomish County or if you are over 55, go to www.volunteermatch.org. These sites match you up with organizations in need of volunteers depending on your availability, ability and interests.

One of the most precious gifts we can all give is our time. I think time, like love, has a way of multiplying. The more we give to those in need, the more we find we are given.