HORSES HEALING HEARTS INC
One Horse, One Child, One Day at a Time
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We aim to decrease the generational cycle of substance use disorder (addiction) by providing life skills and prevention tools to children whose parents struggle with addiction.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Children's Prevention Program - Weekly 2 hour sessions
Every week over 50 children attend 2 hour sessions (group size approximately 8-12) where they have an opportunity to be a "child" and learn positive life skills. Children who grow up in a home are very "parentified" due to taking on "care taking roles" not only of other younger siblings but even taking care of their parent(s) incapacitated by their addiction.
At the weekly sessions (with circle time, horse back riding, and mentoring experiences) these children learn
1) they are not alone,
2) their parent's addiction is not their fault,
3) there is hope for their future if they practice healthy decisions and seek help from safe people (caring acquaintances) when needed.
EAL - EAP - Fee Based, Mission Based
Our EAL and EAP program is a fee based and mission based program in which all of the net revenues go to HHH.
EAL is Equine Assisted Learning and EAP, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
The goal of this unmounted program is to help clients with any issues with which they are struggling. Clients range from substance abusers, veterans, eating disorders, self harm. We also use EAL with corporations to improve efficiency and team work.
Mentor Program
The mentor program matches an adult mentor college student with an HHH participant (in middle or high school). The mentors and mentees meet once per month for 3 hours and bond during an activity like bowling, skating, putt putt, etc.
There are 13 regular Mentees and 7 permanent Mentors. This has doubled in size in less than two years and represents a good sustainable number to build or expand from as the shifting needs off HHH participants can be accommodated, and we can attract quality mentors with the same commitment level as our current mentors.
One of the benefits of focusing on building a complete group under the model of “community based group mentoring” is the ability for both mentors and mentees to experience everyone in the group and build healthy and consistent relationships. These relationships can then respond to different needs of the children and do not grind the program to a halt if someone is sick, working or unable to attend for any reason. It also allows the ability to bring in new mentees almost “on demand” (as the group is designed to be welcoming and inclusive from minute one.)
Horses and Homework - Subset of the Children's Prevention Program
A segment of our population struggles with attaining good grades and with focusing and completing tasks related to homework. We started a weekly program (Wednesdays 4:30-6:30). During this two hours, any participant of HHH weekly sessions is eligible to come to the barn with their homework or any work in a subject with which they struggle. The group "opens" in circle time by reviewing the group rules, sharing "high lights and lows" of the week. After which, they take turns riding and working on any homework. Some children tutor children younger than them. Additionally, we have a retired teacher who donates her time tutoring HHH students "one on one" who might be struggling.
Horsemanship Program - Subset of the Children's Prevention Program
Johnson's Folly, our host barn, is a very active barn with a fair amount of boarders. Because of the logistics and activity, we are unable to have the children partake in grooming, bathing, and tacking each time they ride. Because this is such an important part of taking care of and bonding with horses, we created a program where they could do these activities once per month. On the first Saturday of every month all of the HHH children are guided through these activities so their appreciation and working with horses is more well-rounded and indicative of the correct duties involved in horse ownership and care.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Member of National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) 2019
Certified in EAGALA - Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association 2020
Trained in Natural Lifemanship 2020
DCF Licensed (Dept of Children & Family Services) 2020
Top-Rated Great Non-Profits 2019
Guardian Status - Equus Foundation 2019
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goals are to adequately serve our population of children of alcoholics and addicts aged 6-18 weekly in our 2 hour sessions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our strategies for accomplishing our goals are to 1) maintain an ethical, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic Board of Directors and Advisory Committee to guide us in fulfilling the service needs of our participants.
2) maintain a profitable budget to serve these needs, 3) continually evaluate our progress and performance so as to efficiently meet these goals.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The capabilities of our board of directors, advisory committee, and staff/volunteers is exemplary. Our Board of Directors is comprised of experts in the equine field and the treatment and recovery field. Our Advisory committee is comprised of experts in the field of children of alcoholics and addicts. We have scientists, researchers, authors, lecturers and program directors with such respected institutions as The Betty Ford Center.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
HHH has accomplished a great deal in Palm Beach county. As of April 2020, we are licensed in Prevention by the State of Florida Department of Children and Family Services DCF which has a rigorous protocol for operational management and safety.
We have helped hundreds of families deal with the challenges of addiction in the last decade. We have several of our participants sharing that our group has "saved them from harming themselves" or ending their life because of the stress they endure at home. We have provided a great deal of education for our participants to seek self care from safe people and resources when they are not getting their needs met parents who are using.
What we have not yet accomplished: Our goal is to take this program nationwide. We have possible affiliates in two states (Ohio and Washington State) considering becoming an HHH Program.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
HORSES HEALING HEARTS INC
Board of directorsas of 06/21/2021
Mrs. Lisa Ruth
Horses Healing Hearts
Term: 2016 -
Laurie Chaplin
Dawn Cotler
Daniel Hartwell
Lizabeth Olszewski
Horses Healing Hearts, Inc.
Mary Rosoff
Board leadership practices
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes