FAITH EQUESTRIAN THERAPEUTIC CENTER INC
Improving quality of life, through the power of the horse
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The World Health Organization (cited on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website) reports that individuals with disabilities often encounter barriers that prevent them from accessing activities and pursuits essential for living a healthy lifestyle. These barriers include physical environments that are not accessible, negative attitudes from others and a lack of assistive technology that includes rehabilitative and adaptive devices. According to the Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement, in Effingham County, our largest service area, 17% of school aged students were served in special education classes during the last school year. Additionally, the number of families living at the poverty level in Effingham County is 11% (DataUSA). Many families with disabled members simply cannot afford therapeutic and recreational activities that enhance their quality of life.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies program
Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit therapeutic riding and educational activity center offering programs for children and adults with disabilities. We are a premier accredited member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH, Intl.) and follow all of the accreditation standards of our governing body. Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center partners with our local school system to provide weekly classes for special needs students attending 8 of our public schools. The program is designed to help the participants improve their physical, social, cognitive and/or behavioral functioning by using the movement and interaction with the horse as a therapeutic partner. Classes are held in an arena or on a sensory integration trail with games and challenges specifically designed for each participant's physical, mental or emotional needs. Our program would not exist if it were not for the special horses that provide their time and patience to help improve the quality of life for special needs children. We also offer therapeutic riding lessons for individuals with special needs on an individual schedule. These students have the opportunity to participate in the Georgia State Special Olympics Horse Show each fall.
Reading with Roscoe
Reading with Roscoe is a first grade level literacy program designed to get children just starting out with reading and others falling behind a chance to gain reading skills. We use a miniature pony " Roscoe" as a facilitator. This is a proven program developed by Blair McKissock MSed and Debbie Anderson from the "Reading with Rosie" curriculum.
Where we work
Accreditations
Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International Premier Accreditation 2010
Awards
Service Above Self 2013
Rotary Club
Certificate of recognition 2018
Social Workers Association of GA. SSWAG
Affiliations & memberships
Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International 2006
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of disabled clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health
Related Program
Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
The overall goal of the program is to Improve the quality of life for people with special needs in our community and surrounding areas. By using best practices developed over 43 years in the field of equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT), we can provide people with disabilities an opportunity to gain life changing skills; to help them improve physically; and have a chance to build confidence and self esteem while enjoying the healing power of the horses that partner with us.
Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center provides a beautiful, quiet farm environment where participants can receive physical therapy and related equine assisted therapeutic riding and educational activities to stimulate the body , mind and spirit as well as help mainstream them into society. Within the next few years it is our hope to be able to reach more donors who can share the dream and invest in us.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center is laying a foundation for future boards to build on. Specific strategies in place for sustaining and increasing the number of people we serve include the following:
1. Grow and sustain board membership.
2. Ensure program viability through vigorous fundraising for special events, private donations, a year-round sponsorship fund.
3. Use personal resources and connections in the community to increase visibility and awareness of Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center.
4. Pursue sufficient financial resources for capital improvements that will allow program expansion and address the health considerations of our special needs riders.
5. Oversee the implementation and expansion of the Horses for Heroes program and other specialty programs.
6. Maintain a strong volunteer base.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Faith Equestrian continues to maintain an accredited status with PATH, Intl. ensuring that we will use best practices to promote safety and optimal outcomes of EAAT for individuals with special needs. Our riding instructors also maintain PATH, Intl. certifications. We are building collaborative relationships with many organizations in our community including schools, churches and civic clubs to raise awareness, educate the public and provide support for our mission. Support from our local United Way has increased over the last 3 years and our relationship with them continues to grow. We have a dedicated group of volunteers and we maintain ongoing recruitment and training programs. Our board of directors meets monthly to review progress and make decisions regarding our programs. They review and update our strategic plan twice a year.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2019, Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center celebrates its 15th Anniversary, continuing our Premier Accreditation by the Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International. We have a full-time Program Director bringing lessons and creativity to design of additional programs. We have a fulltime barn/equine manager who lives onsite to ensure the proper care of all of the animals. We have 3 instructors and do summer camps for children with special needs.
We are serving 150+ children onsite annually now and have increased from serving 6 schools to eight schools, aside from our regular therapeutic riding program after school hours. New for 2019, Faith Equestrian started a miniature pony traveling literacy program that will travel to inner-city schools to help first graders who are struggling with learning to read and to keep up in the public schools.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Adults and children with disabilities and special needs
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
none
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,
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.
FAITH EQUESTRIAN THERAPEUTIC CENTER INC
Board of directorsas of 02/17/2022
Mr. Tom Keathley
Retired Executive
Term: 2020 - 2022
Marisha Eveland
Richard Sanders
Bridget Seay
Michele Shuman
Bonnie McIver
Tim Stevenson
Patsy Ziegler
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/12/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.