Hello friends,
As many of you know, it has been a dream of both Gina and Chelsea to have an opportunity to use their social work skills to support individuals from all kinds of backgrounds, with varying needs and desires, and incorporating their loves of horses. Over a year ago, they each expressed that desire to their mutual friend, Susan, and the next thing you know, we’ve built it!
Serene Strides is a 501c3 dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-based equine-assisted mental health services to individuals seeking a holistic approach to their mental wellness. We aim to empower our clients to achieve personal growth, resilience, and emotional well-being.
Accomplishments in 2024:
- Established ourselves as a 501c3 and filed all of our official paperwork with the State of California.
- Chelsea and Gina have recently been certified by the University of Denver’s Equine Assisted Mental Health Practitioner Program.
- Applied for our first grant from the Horses & Humans Research Foundation to contribute to the evidence on best practices in working with individuals living with dementia and their care partners.
- Hosted an Open House on the property in Los Molinos where we will be providing programming with equine companions Ellie, Grayson and Navaya.
- Hosted 28 Master of Social Work students to discuss “Rural Realities in Social Work” special thanks to Judy Vang and Molly Calhoun at Chico State’s School of Social Work for their confidence in and support of our work.
We need your help to launch. Specifically, we are looking for financial contributions for:
- Building a new, round pen to conduct workshops
- Securing general liability insurance
- Purchasing tables and chairs for workshops and monthly resilience groups
The North Valley Community Foundation is hosting an incubator fund for us and managing our financial contributions as we get on our feet. Please consider donating today. Any gift large or small is welcome.