Dream Catchers

DREAM CATCHERS
Strategic Plan: 2018-2021
Approved by the Board of Directors October 30, 2018

GOAL 1: Dream Catchers is a financially stable organization capable of supporting program goals, facility maintenance, and an operating reserve fund
GOAL 2: Dream Catchers is recognized as a center that implements evidence-based best practices across EAS programs
GOAL 3: Dream Catchers’ mission is supported by a highly qualified team of staff and community volunteers
GOAL 4: Dream Catchers is governed and led by an engaged Board of Directors
GOAL 5: Dream Catchers is supported by high quality infrastructure

Fees from all EAS programs will provide an increasing percentage of income
Increase the amount of donated dollars from all sources (individuals, corporations, grants)
Monitor operational costs
Board and Advisory Board Members will stay informed through reports and meetings
Potential Board and Advisory Board Members will be identified, recruited, and provided necessary information to carry-out responsibilities
Potential new Board Members will be suggested to the Executive Committee, a Committee of Board Members
The Board of Directors takes actions to assure the sustainability of Dream Catchers
Maintain PATH Intl standards in compliance with Premier Accreditation
The effectiveness of services provided by Dream Catchers will be evaluated on an ongoing basis
Through the development and implementation of best practices, Dream Catchers is a leader in the EAS industry
The facility will meet the needs of all EAS programs per PATH Intl. standards
Infra-structure maintenance, repair, replacement, and improvement costs will be reviewed by qualified individuals with estimates for costs obtained and compared.

Dream Catchers is capable of serving over 800 participants each year across all programs/services. The services being provided include: therapeutic riding, (mounted lessons), therapeutic horsemanship (unmounted lessons), equine assisted learning, equine assisted psychotherapy, speech therapy, community health & wellness programs, professional education and mentorship for professional and prospective professionals in the equine assisted services industry.

Our state-of-the art facility is debt free and allows us to operate in all seasons and to provide services when many other organizations must restrict service due to inclement weather. The knowledge, skills, and abilities of our professional staff provide the very highest level of service. One of our instructors has achieved their Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) Advanced Certification, current held by approximately 250 individuals world-wide. We are a PATH Intl Premier Accredited Center. We keep a financial reserve so that we can prevent the interruption of services and have sufficient reserves to handle unexpected expenses, while recognizing the need to build these reserves, as opposed to depleting them.

Our welcoming and inclusive culture affirms the people we serve and their families. The genuine caring and nurturing of participants, our volunteers, their families, and the gratitude we express to our supporters are significant components of what makes Dream Catchers a very special place.

In the last ten years, Dream Catchers has grown from providing therapeutic riding as the only service provided to a few participants, to serving over 800 individuals with over 150 separate diagnoses annually. The scope and the content of our programs have expanded dramatically. In the past, we have also presented research findings to professional audiences in EAS, education, and school psychology at the local, state, national, and international levels. The publication of our research on the effects of therapeutic riding on children with autism was published in the peer reviewed scientific Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. As a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Facility, our commitment to excellence has set us as an industry leader.

Attracting and developing new donors to support the life-changing impacts that are being made by Dream Catchers is a major priority. Our focus on communicating the positive impacts of our programs, and sharing our appreciation for our donors and our volunteers, receive constant and consistent attention.

Dream Catchers continues to seek board members who are engaged and committed to our mission. Adding new board members, who will share their passion for the impacts that we make and thereby widen the group of supporters, is an ongoing process.