Today in class, Mrs. Kapp gave us time to talk with our group. We discussed how some of us may go back again this weekend as well as a particular spot when we should all get together. The point in time when we will get together still needs to be determined, but I am almost positive we will meet at my house. We need to determine when everyone can get together and if the boys will need to meet with us on the joint part of the presentation or not.
-Ally
Today was our first day of working at Quest. Ally, Jen, and I met at school at 7:30 AM and my mom drove us to Quest (Dahlia and the guys met us there). We arrived a bit early so we had a look around before the others arrived. The lobby of the one-story building has couches, chairs, a TV, and a window where one can see the riding arena. A door leads to a dining room and the hallway doors open to offices, bathrooms, and the barn. The barn contains stalls for the horses and storage space for the tack and supplies. The facility is surrounded by a field and an open area for trail rides outside.
When we were all there, we were shown two videos on hippotherapy, safety, and information on Quest (the guys, who were there last time, had not seen the videos yet). Then it was time to work. After being introduced to the horses and grooming procedures, we were taught how to sidewalk with a horse and patient. We were also given chores to do such as sweeping and cleaning up after the horses.
After the morning hippotherapy sessions and lunch, Jen had to leave early but the rest of us helped with the Special Olympics program. This program prepares the riders for the Special Olympics competition which will take place in June. I had the opportunity to lead a horse and rider on a specific path around the arena in Dressage. We were done around 3:30, which means we completed about 7.5 hours of work.
~Stephanie
As the day began, I prepared myself for getting dirty and a lot of hard work. I arrived at Quest at around 8AM and there I met Stephanie, Ally, and Jen, along with Mahjub, Dan, and Mike who also decided to volunteer that day with us. At first, Laura had us watch a few videos in order to become acquianted with the program, as well as the crucial tips we needed to know for sidewalking, leading, and what to do in the rare chance that a child fell from their horse. Afterwards, she had the group enter the main area, where we were told how to groom a horse, along with being shown the area where the hippotherapy took place: a large, barn-like, hypoallergenic building with a window for parents to watch their children from the waiting room, as well as a few children already inside waiting to begin.
Because the two groups consisted of a total of seven people, we were able to help out a lot. Dan and Mike were first to help out since they had already participated that previous Monday and were experienced compared to the rest of us, with the exception of Mahjub, who also participated once before. Nonetheless, because of the large group, I was able to sidewalk only two children during hippotherapy, while other group members participated in sweeping, cleaning up, and cleaning deposits left by the horses. The children were incredibly kind (and adorable!) and seemed to really enjoy the program and the people. Eventually, each of us would switch jobs so we all experienced what it was like to work at Quest on a regular basis.
By the time it was 12PM, the seven of us relaxed for some time, and ate pizza for lunch, which was kindly provided to us by the president of Quest. Unfortunately, Jen had made earlier plans at this time and regretfully had to leave early at about 1PM.
Later on, we were able to participate in Special Olympics, which consisted of a group of children ages 11-14, who were more experienced in riding and even competed in Horse Shows at Quest! I had the great privilege of leading a horse named Peanut Butter throughout the three hours of Special Olympics, and although the child I was leading was very cooperative, unfortunately, my horse had some difficulties in listening to commands, and was lazy throughout the day. However, the experience was enjoyable and enriching.
By the time 3:30PM came by, we were all ready to go home after 7:30 hours of volunteer work, leaving us at a total of half an hour that needed to be completed for the minimum service hours required. Before we left, Laura also informed us that they would be lacking in volunteers the following Saturday, and if any of us were interested, it would be extremely helpful. As I am available most Saturdays, I agreed, and now I am anxious to return to Quest for two more volunteer days!
It was a relief to know all the pre-work was done and we could finally actually go and work at QUEST. This is precisly what we did today, and it was a great experience. My morning began by meeting Stephanie and Jen at the high school at 7:30 AM, and from there we carpooled to QUEST. Dahlia met us there, as a result of her house being closer to QUEST than ours. When we all arrived, to our surprise, the boys were also coming too, so it was all seven of us. When we were all there, Laura, a coordinator of QUEST, had us watch a video to show us what we would be doing and what kind of safety tips were needed to keep in mind. When the video was completed, all of us went out to where the horse’s stables were and also were able to see the arena. Another woman named Anna showed us how to groom a horse as our first lesson. Although we did not help groom any of the horses that day, we may have to in the future. Our main task was to either sidewalk (help the children’s stability on the horse) or lead the horse. In the beginning, all of us started with sidewalking because we had never done this before. Dan and Mike were the first to help with the sidewalking because they had been at QUEST the week before. All of us eventually had a turn to help by sidewalking and all of us enjoyed it because of how much we liked the horses and the children! By 12:30 we ate lunch and at 1 we came back to help out with the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics consisted of manuvering through a course that one of the coordinators had instructed to us. This time, I had the honor of leading a horse named loveable, and although it was more difficult then sidewalking, I was able to manage fairly well. We ended this at 3 pm, and afterwards helped clean up a bit by sweeping up some dirt and such that was on the ground in the stable area. Overall, I thought going to QUEST was a great experience. It was a lot more fun then I thought it would be probably because I was with other peers making me feel comfortable. I may possibly go back this weekend, but our next official date that we are going is Saturday, May 10th. I can’t wait!=]
-Ally
I woke up this morning at 7am. My first thoughts were somewhere along the lines of, “Can I go back to sleep?” Instead I dragged myself out of bed and into a pair of jeans and a tank top, grabbed a quick breakfast and rushed off to meet my other group members at school to carpool to Quest. I arrived at the high school at 7:30am sharp, with Stephanie and Ally shortly following. We all piled into Mrs.Zhang’s car and left for the center. Dahlia and the boys group would meet us there at 8am.
Entering the country decorated sitting area we were met by a tall burly man. He welcomed us to Quest and asked if we had ever volunteered here before. We timidly replied no. Noticing we carried lunches he immediately ushered us to kitchen offering the fridge to keep them chilled. He left us to sit on the couches to wait for Laura, our contact at Quest and the person who would train us before helping. While waiting we were joyously met by 2 beautiful dogs. They cuddle up with us on the couches and shortly after Laura tottered in to the sitting room. After introductions were made she explained to us that Quest was a non- profit organization that uses horses to assist in therapy for special need children. She thanked us for coming and then put on a DVD that was to give us the proper training for the assisting the therapists. She also showed us a second video that reverberated the safety tips even more clearly.
When the videos were finished we headed to the stables and indoor rink. She had us sign into a book that kept track of how many service hours each of the volunteers served. After we walked to over to a huge white board mounted on the wall. Laura explained to us that the white board was divided into time slots during the day. Each time slot would have the names of the riders, the horse they were riding, the riders therapist, and the side walkers and leaders that would help each child. Continuing she told us that some of the jobs she had just mentioned such as a side walker and leader would be done by us. A side walker was the person responsible for the rider. They were to walk along side the horse and hold onto the rider to keep them balanced and prevent them from falling off. The leader on the other hand had full responsibility of the horse. They were to guide the horse with a rope lead making sure the horse was comfortable and did not get spooked or do anything that would endanger the rider.
Laura gave us a hands on demonstration of side walking and then we got straight down to business. Some of the boys group started with Ally and Dahlia side walking because they had volunteered the previous week and already knew the ropes. As Stephanie and I stood waiting for Laura to return and tell us if the children in the first session were allowed to be photographed She did this diligently before each session. I started off taking pictures in the rink of my group interacting with the horses and riders. After a couple sessions of taking pictures of the rink Stephanie and I decided to go picture crazy. We ran around the building taking pictures of signs, the waiting room and anything else we could find. We returned to the rink finding another session about to start. I got some side walking during the next session. Afterwards I found the boys were missing but all the girls were present. They finally returned telling us Laura had put them to work mucking the fields. Not the most glorious job but needed.
It hit 11:45pm and we were told that we could relax for a while. We walked outside to the and threw around a ball and chilled on the play ground for about 45 minutes when they finally called us in. We had brought lunches but most of us smelling the cheesy pizza they kindly ordered for us chose that instead. After lunch I said goodbye to everyone telling them I had to leave because of a prior commitment although the rest of the group stayed till 3pm to help with special Olympics.
Helping out at Quest that day was fun and such an energizer. I enjoyed working with the children and watching them do stunts on top of the horse. It was a good feeling knowing they were having and this was something that helped them. Helping with the horses was just as fun. Each horse had their own individual personality yet they were still very gentle wit the riders and took direction well. I am excited to stay next time for the special Olympics and watch what the more advanced riders are able to do. I’m sure it will be a great time.
~Jen
In order to volunteer at Quest, we first must check with the managers in order to receive approval. However, though the group has constantly been trying to get a hold of Laura, who is in charge of the volunteers, she has either called us back at times when we were unavailable or at school. Likewise, whenever we have found time to call her back, she had also been unavailable.
Ally told the group that Laura had called yesterday and apologized for taking so long to get back to her. Laura said she would love have us volunteer and the dates we had picked out were perfect. Finally we have confirmation. Ally also said that some riders at Quest were preparing for the Special Olympics. Practices are from 12-3pm on Saturdays and they would like some volunteers to help. The group decided to go ahead and do the extra hours. Although I would have loved to stay till 3, I had a prior commitment that I could not change on the 26th and would have to leave around 12pm, true to the original plan.
~Jen
Over the weekend, Dahlia emailed a list of possible quotes that we could use in our project. My favorites of the list are as follows:
“Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”
~ Danny Thomas
“You will discover that you have two hands. One is for helping yourself and the other is for helping others.”
~ Audrey Hepburn
“A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives.”
~ Jackie Robinson
Yesterday in class, our group confirmed the dates on which we will work at Quest (April 26th and May 10th). The guys’ group will be with us on those dates but I believe that they have other days planned as well. I also received a message from Laura who works at Quest. I called back today and left a message for her. Everything seems to be in order so now I can’t wait for April 26th!
~Stephanie
Today after school, I finally recieved a call back from Laura about volunteering at QUEST:). She apologized about the delay, but i was just relieved that she got back to me. Our dates to go are now official, April 26th and May 10th. Now that we have everything planned i guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.
-Ally
Having finished the proposal for our project over the weekend, we handed it in and further discussed dates for working at Quest. Here is the proposal:
Beginning Our QUEST
Overview of the Problem to be Solved:
The goal of Quest Therapeutic Services is to provide children with both physical therapy and emotional support through two programs, Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding. There are two aspects to the problems of these children: a practical aspect and a philosophical aspect. Practically, the special needs of the children hinder their motility, which affects their health and physical condition. Philosophically, the children need special care due to these disabilities, which limit their education. With its programs, Quest offers exercise, social, and educational opportunities through horseback riding.
Specific Action Plan:
By volunteering at Quest, we are assisting with its beneficial programs. In order to achieve the most from our experience at Quest Therapeutic Services, we plan on taking a tour of the facility. Afterwards, the four of us have planned on at least three different dates in order to perform the community service, for a total of at least 40 hours combined. However, because many of our schedules conflict, some of the service days will be done with only half of the group, while at least one will involve the entire group. Along with this, we plan on videotaping and taking pictures of our time in the program, by either alternating with the technology or asking parents of the children to do so for us. At the end of the project, a copy of the video will be available for the parents of the children if they would like to have one.
Expected Outcomes:
Elie Wiesel stated, “The only way for us to help ourselves is to help others and to listen to each other’s stories.” Working at Quest offers us an excellent opportunity to apply ourselves in helping to improve the conditions of disabled children. As we associate with the children, we hope that they will share their thoughts and experiences with us, enabling them to gain more confidence as well as allowing us to get a sense of the experiences they have dealt with in order to live with their disabilities. Not only are we making a difference in their lives by providing companionship, but we are making a difference in our lives by broadening our horizons in this new experience.
~Stephanie
