2019 ANNUAL REPORT Horses Change Us
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A Horse Can Change a Life 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Horses change us. They teach us about trust, responsibility and cooperation. They push us to become stronger and more confident. Their intuitive nature helps us heal and learn who we are. And they bring smiles to everyone they meet. Just watch how our 40 horses improve the lives of our 1,000 students and help them grow and accomplish things they never thought they could. 2019 AR | 2 Photo by Ryals Photo INTERESTING FACTS Our horses worked with our students in 16,284 lessons last year, averaging about 230 participants per week. We served approximately 1,000 unique individuals in 2019. 52 percent of our students are Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern, Native American or other. 62 percent of our students are youth. Our male and female populations are nearly equal: 51 percent male, 49 percent female. Our students came from throughout Northeast Ohio including Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Portage, Summit, Lorain and Mahoning counties. The majority of our staff have been working at the farm for more than 10 years. Our herd totals 40 horses of 20 different breeds including Kentucky Mountain Horse, Norwegian Fjord, Oldenburg, Percheron, Quarter Horse, Selle Français and Thoroughbred. STUDENT POPULATION Psychosocial Disorders = 33% PTSD, anxiety, depression, OCD, people facing crisis, survivors of trauma and violence, etc. Developmental Disabilities = 24% Cognitive impairments, learning disabilities Autism = 21% ADHD = 8% Down Syndrome = 3% Neurological Disorders = 3% Cerebral Palsy = 2% Visual or Hearing Impairment = 1.5% Fragile X Syndrome = .5% Other = 4% 2019 AR | 3 “If I could work with John all day, I would.” Jake, Freshman at Gaitway High School 2019 AR | 4 Photo by Tammie Packer Gaitway helps teens succeed SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District (Boulevard, The structure of traditional high school wasn’t working for Canterbury, Fairfax, Gearity, Monticello, Roxboro) Jake. Teachers were moving too fast for him and his grades Cleveland Metropolitan School District (Adlai Stevenson, Charles Eliot, Facing History New Technology, Iowa Maple Preschool, Luis Munoz- were slipping. His counselor recommended Gaitway High Marin, School of One, Sunbeam and Wade Park) School at Fieldstone Farm and Jake thought an alternative Cleveland Sight Center (Bright Futures Preschool) school on a farm could be pretty awesome. Crossroads School Cuyahoga Community College Deepwood Center Now Jake starts his day filling up water buckets for the horses. East Cleveland School District (Caledonia Elementary, Superior When he’s done, he takes about 200 steps from the barn Elementary) Footpath Foundation to the Gaitway classrooms for math, English, and his other The Gathering Place subjects. For physical education, he rides a quarter horse Gilmour Academy Montessori named Tex. But whenever he gets the chance, he works right Hospice of the Western Reserve Jewish Family Services Association of Cleveland alongside John, our Facility Manager, for vocational training. Kidslink Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities “What John does is really cool. He’s always problem solving,” Lake Erie College Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (Recreational Therapy, Jake says. “It’s like being in an escape room where you are Cleveland Blind Rehabilitation Center, Women’s Treatment Program, trying to figure things out.” One day it could be replacing a PTSD/SUD Residential Treatment Program) Mayfield Schools (Lander Elementary, Millridge Elementary, Mayfield fence post, and another day it could be cleaning the bearings High School) on a carriage wheel. Menorah Park (Helen’s Place, Stone Gardens) Maplewood Senior Living Center “I like him to think from a 30,000-foot view so I always ask Metzenbaum Center Monarch Center (Bellefaire JCB, Monarch Boarding Center, Monarch how he would approach a problem before we get started,” Hall) says John, who holds a master’s in education. John teaches Nordonia Hills City School District (Nordonia High School, Rushwood Elementary) him about planning, follow-through, and having high Ohio Military Kids standards. “Jake wants to work, and I really enjoy teaching Ohio Professional Horseman’s Association him.” Open Doors Academy Positive Education Programs Pressley Ridge Now in the spring semester of his freshman year, his grades Re-Education Access have jumped to solid B’s and he’s enthusiastic about his Renee Jones Empowerment Center future. Jake wants to become a welder and is applying to Shaker Heights High School Sunrise Day Program for Seniors Auburn Career Center. Next year, he hopes to spend his Tree of Knowledge Learning Academy mornings at Gaitway and afternoons at Auburn. Ursuline College Volunteers of America of Greater Cleveland The Weils 2019 AR | 5 Western Reserve Carriage Association 2019 AR | 6 Photo by Frank Gwirtz Caring for 40 horses takes many hands Financial Summary Our volunteer Equine Management Team (EMT) plays a vital (Based on 2019 unaudited financials) role in helping manage our herd. Every Wednesday this group Fieldstone Farm is a non-profit organization of 20 volunteers arrives eager to help in any way they can. that holds a 501(c)(3) status. One week it could be bathing the horses, another week it Total Operating Income $2,130,542 could be fitting saddles or acquainting the horses with a new Donor Designated Capital Revenue $76,317 piece of equipment. Total Operating Expenses $2,185,190 Total Revenue Less Expenses $21,669 “They are amazing. I don’t know what I would do without *Includes In-kind donations. them!” says Jinene, Equine Director, who started the volunteer team about 25 years ago to serve as an extension of her barn staff. INCOME 17% Donations 1% The team has evolved into something beyond horses, says 20% Earned Revenue Kay, who has served as an EMT since the group’s inception. Events “We are a community. Some of my best friends are EMTs & Fundraising or retired EMTs.” Endowment 18% In-kind/Other Over the years they have shared happy times like weddings, engagements and births, but they also have supported each other during the hard times like serious illnesses, deaths and EXPENSES 19% divorce. Programs 5% Events On Wednesdays, you see them in action. They all arrive & Fundraising about 15 minutes early to catch up on each other’s lives, with Administrative little groups congregating in the tack room. Lots of smiles, 76% hugs and laughs. Then it’s down to business. Jinene reviews the list of tasks, divides them into groups, and then they are off to work. The Equine Management Team is just one part of our 250-member volunteer organization whose dedication, enthusiasm and commitment make it possible to serve our 1,000 students each year. 2019 AR | 7 Photo by Frank Gwirtz Photo by Frank 2019 AR | 8 Photo by Tammie Packer Butterscotch finds a home Every Saturday morning, Dennis comes to the barn with a pinkish red Honeycrisp apple and a few peppermints in his pocket for Butterscotch, the horse he donated in memory of his wife, Jan. Reuniting with the horse each week is a great source of comfort. Learning to ride was on Jan’s bucket list before she died. Once she started, she wanted a horse of her own. She was smitten when she first saw Butterscotch, a Kentucky Mountain Horse, dapper in his champagne coat with four black socks. His fine bones and sweet face made him irresistible. Also, at just 14 hands tall, he was an easy mount for her, which was important because she wore a brace on one leg as a result of her bone loss from cancer treatments as a child. Sadly, Jan’s riding years were limited. Her cancer returned. Her equine buddy brightened her days though, even during the darkest times. She and her husband would visit Butterscotch with her little chocolate Chihuahua, Tugg. She loved him very much and made Dennis promise to find Butterscotch a good home after she was gone. Dennis found that loving home at Fieldstone where Butterscotch is part of the equine therapy team. To no surprise, he’s become a favorite and is just the right size for many of our riders. When Dennis first toured Fieldstone, he was moved by the drawings and notes which decorated each horse’s stall. Today, during his weekly visits, he finds the same adoring messages left for Butterscotch, and he knows Jan would be happy. Photo by Ryals Photo Betsy inspires innovation When Betsy was seven, she would hop on a bus near her Cleveland Heights home and travel 30 minutes to Red Raider horseback riding camp in Novelty, just like many kids did back then. This experience was the beginning of a life-long love of horses. Later in life, Betsy went on to a successful career as a dressage rider. Today she operates two well respected dressage farms and her horse, Salvino, likely will be tapped to go to the Olympics next summer. Betsy’s drive for excellence also permeates her professional career. When she graduated from college, Betsy started a legal services company, Litigation Management, Inc., which has grown from a one-person shop to one of the largest companies of its kind in the country with 600 employees. The combination of her professional expertise and love of horses has had a lasting impact on Fieldstone Farm. In the late 1990’s, soon after Fieldstone Farm moved into its state-of-the art facility, Betsy was recruited to help chart the program’s long-term strategic plan to ensure a healthy future. Betsy jumped right in and before you knew it, she was on the Board, becoming Board Chair in 2013. Her leadership helped Fieldstone become one of the largest and most respected therapeutic riding centers in the country. Her focus on innovation spurred new programs and operational procedures which led the industry.