Arts and Culture China Project #45881

Support Therapeutic Riding for disabled in China

by HOPE (Horses Offering People Enrichment)

Project Report | Apr 8, 2024
HOPE 2023 Annual Report

By Lucia Zhou | Program Director

High Five

HOPE 2023 Annual Report

Service

In 2023, HOPE’s Therapeutic Horsemanship program served a total of 81 participants, including 48 children and 33 adults with special needs, providing a total of 1,286 hours of service.

Therapeutic Riding Lessons: HOPE served 29 participants, Monday through Friday in weekly therapeutic riding lessons, providing a total of 470 hours throughout the year.
Prevocational Program: HOPE provided long-term services to 2 families and 13 individuals in Nuan Xin Household accumulating 339 hours throughout the year.
Summer Camp: HOPE organized the 9th therapeutic horsemanship summer camp for children with special needs that included participants from across the nation, providing a total of 304 hours of service.
Integration Events: Throughout the year, a total of 9 inclusive activities of varying scales were organized with the participation of 65 families, accumulating 174 hours of service.

Volunteer Participation

Throughout the year, a total of 302 volunteers actively participated in our programs and activities. This number includes 105 individuals who attended training as new volunteers. The cumulative volunteer hours for the entire year reached an impressive 6,775 hours. In addition, the organization connected with and established clubs with six international schools. These clubs extend their services to the surrounding communities, assisting HOPE in the organization of inclusive volunteer services and fundraising events.

Instructor Training and Development

In June 2023, the HOPE local coaching team completed continuing education training to enhance their skill sets. In September, a significant portion of the course was successfully transitioned to a small group format, an adjustment that not only increased course efficiency but also enhanced both the enjoyment and effectiveness of the sessions. Additionally, the team worked to develop a progress tracking system centered around "participant capabilities," where volunteers and parents are provided with a more intuitive understanding of each student's progress.

Public Lectures

Two online public lectures were conducted for student groups and individuals from various backgrounds. These lectures aimed to increase awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and highlight the therapeutic effects of equine assisted services. Additionally, eight seminars were organized for parents featuring experts in pediatric Chinese medicine massage and self-care. In total 150 participants attended these learning opportunities.

Special Honors

Throughout 2023, we were honored to have received the following prestigious accolades:

First Prize in the 3rd New Era Civilization Practice Volunteer Service Competition in Shunyi District.
Exemplary Program in the Capital Volunteer Service of Social Entrepreneurship Competition.
Silver Award in the 6th China Youth Volunteer Service of Social Entrepreneurship Competition.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Shunyi District Volunteer Federation, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League for their unwavering support and recognition!

Utilization of Funding

In 2023, the total income from donations amounted to ¥1,217,719.14. This funding was sourced from public donations and platform matching funds provided by Tencent, support from enterprises and foundations, offline activities, donations from international schools and the community, as well as income from courses and training.

Total expenditure of funds reached ¥1,067,978.51, covering expenses such as the care and boarding of five horses, remuneration for ten core members, management of over 300 volunteers, activity costs, and administrative expenses .

Executive Team

The core team comprises a total of 10 individuals, including full-time and part-time staff, as well as key volunteers. Among them, there is one PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), two coaches with CAE1 certification from the French Equestrian Association, and two coaches with Junior Equestrian Coach certification from the Beijing Equestrian Association.

The team also includes six equine partners who contribute through full-time, retired, or "volunteer" roles: Muer, Tanke, Heishan, Daxi, Dabao, Xiwu Froni.

Once again, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all compassionate individuals and organizations. It is through each one of your contributions that HOPE can continue providing services. A special thanks to all the families of HOPE students; your trust provides us the opportunity to serve these wonderful children.

New Pony Daxi

Links:

HOPE Website

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Dec 22, 2023
HOPE Receives National Recognition

By Priscilla Lightsey | Founder

The HOPE Volunteer Award

Greetings HOPE Supporters,

The HOPE team wanted to share some good news with you. This year HOPE entered The Exemplary Program of Social Entrepreneurship Competition of 2023 Capital Volunteer Service and has won top awards!

Lucia, HOPE Program Manager, received a call last spring from a Chinese government representative. This individual invited Lucia to enter the 2023 Capital Volunteer Service Competition. Lucia thanked the caller and submitted an application for HOPE.

A bit of background: HOPE runs out of the Oriental Equestrian Training Center which is just inside the 6^th Ring Road in Beijing. Currently, Beijing has a population of close to 22 million people. The city is divided into 16 districts and HOPE is in the Shunyi District. And HOPE, with our established Volunteer Training Program, provides opportunities for approximately 300 volunteers/year.

Back to the story: HOPE won the award for the Shunyi District! Lucia was then invited to enter the competition for the City of Beijing, which she did. Later the team learned that HOPE had won the Volunteer Award for all of Beijing!

In the fall, the representative called a third time to invite HOPE to submit an entry for the top award, for the entire country of China. (China has a population of roughly 1.4 billion people - it is big!) Again, Lucia applied. Guess what? HOPE came in 2^nd place for the whole country, winning The Silver Metal of Social Entrepreneurship Competition of The Sixth China Youth Volunteer Service.

When asked why HOPE won, Lucia said that it is most likely because HOPE is considered a creative organization and a pioneer in the type of services offered. Additionally, she felt we were recognized for successful management during the past years, including those that were especially challenging.

We wanted to share this accomplishment and thank you for your continued support.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

In gratitude,

Priscilla, Amy, and the HOPE Team in Beijing

A volunteer and rider

Links:

The HOPE Website

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Nov 9, 2023
HOPE is a 2023 Chi Fan for Charity Recipient

By Amy Tripson | HOPE Consultant

Lucia at Chi Fan for Charity

Dear HOPE Supporter,

We are so excited to share with you a wonderful update. You may remember that in prior years, HOPE applied for funding from an organization called Chi Fan for Charity (CFFC). Over the past 15 years CFFC has supported nonprofits throughout China by hosting a night of delicious food, fun and fundraising in the CFFC spirit of “Good Eats, Good Times, Good Causes”. Incredibly, CFFC raised over 10 million Yuan in support of a diverse array of organizations in that time.

This year instead of calling for proposal submissions, CFFC focused on quality education, gender equality, sustainable cities, and communities as well as the partnerships under the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in their determination of the chosen charities. For the past couple years HOPE has applied for this event but this year Chi Fan for Charity came to us and told us we were selected for their fund!

To be selected as a charity recipient for Chi Fan for Charity is a huge privilege and honor that is surrounded by the hard work, dedication, passion, and purpose of the HOPE team. For years the team has worked to keep HOPE moving through many changes and challenges and we are always so happy to report their success. During COVID the team came together to figure out how to keep HOPE fulfilling its mission in a changing world. Since that time, they have worked hard to provide quality services, maintain the health and welfare of our horses, and provide a place of education, learning and service for so many people. We are thankful not only to Chi Fan for Charity for recognizing the impact that HOPE has on the Beijing community and the incredible work that our staff do, but also to you, our longtime HOPE supporters for being with us throughout this journey.

With thanks and appreciation,

The HOPE Team

Thankful for the HOPE team and Chi Fan for Charity

Links:

HOPE Website

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