Source:  News Release

PATH Intl. Volunteers Change the World for Participants at Centers

Denver –Goethe said “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and help them become what they are capable of being.” That saying is nowhere more visible than when talking about the volunteers at PATH Intl. Centers around the world. PATH Intl. volunteers see the possibilities in each person they come in contact with and help them reach their full potential.

One such example is Shane Clark, the 2012 PATH Intl. Volunteer of the Year. Shane suffered brain damage at birth, but through his parents’ determination and his own can-do attitude, Shane progressed, and when he was 10, therapeutic riding helped him progress further. Shane became a participant at Partners Therapeutic Horsemanship, a PATH Intl. Center in Lakeside, CA, and the program that once taught him is now the beneficiary of his many volunteer hours. Shane has learned many skills through the EAAT program. He has learned all the skills to coach and assist all types of special needs riders as a sidewalker, and he is always willing to help in lessons. “He is a truly good person,” said Bobbi Buettgenbach, Partners assistant director. “He is a shining example of the impact EAAT can have on someone’s life and is a daily inspiration to those around him.”

Bimeda Equine, a PATH Intl. sponsor, recognizes the life-changing and world-changing impact volunteers can have. Bimeda has established a “Volunteer of the Month” as a way to say thank you to PATH Intl. volunteers. Winners will receive a $50 American Express gift card, and the volunteer’s center will receive a 25-dose pack of Bimectin, Exodus and Equimax dewormers from Bimeda. Click here for information on how to nominate a PATH Intl. volunteer. 

“If you want to innovate,” said Jean Ribould, “to change an enterprise or a society [or even one person’s life], it takes people willing to do what is not expected.” Do the unexpected. Volunteer at a PATH Intl. Center. Click here to find a PATH Intl. Center near you.

About PATH Intl.:

Based in Denver, PATH Intl. was formed in 1969 to promote equine-assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs. The needs of those served include but are not limited to developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, hearing, visual and speech impairments, spina-bifida, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, and emotional, behavioral and learning challenges. Many PATH Intl. centers offer special programs for at-risk youth as well as wounded service personnel and veterans. At nearly 850 member centers, men, women and children find a sense of independence through involvement with equines in activities such as therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy, driving, interactive vaulting and competition. Of the 54,000 participants helped by PATH Intl., nearly 80 percent are under the age of 18. Today, PATH Intl. has more nearly 45,000 volunteers, 4,397 instructors, 6,343 therapy horses and thousands of contributors from all over the world. Information about PATH Intl. is available on its website at www.pathintl.org.

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