If Marion Therapeutic Riding Association had to pay each of their over 100 volunteers an hourly wage for the thousands of hours they generously contribute, the additional expense to the program would be over $100,000 annually. This is just a drop in the bucket of the amazing contributions that our volunteers bring to the table.
Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held at the St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocala on Friday evening, May 16th and was attended by over 100 volunteers, riders, parents, staff members and other people integral to the function of this organization. Many thanks to long time MTRA volunteer Peggy Heier for arranging the use of her church at no cost. The parents of our riders brought an astounding array of delicious side dishes and desserts to accompany the wonderful roasted pulled pork that was sponsored by the MTRA Board of Directors and prepared by ??? Roman. Also assisting in keeping the buffet line moving were Jan Hathaway, Ralph Flood and Patti Homschek. And very special thanks to our Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Holmberg, for her outstanding work in coordinating this event and for all of her work year-round for our volunteers!
We congratulate our 2014 Award winners:
- Andrea Tripp, Adult Volunteer of the Year
- Jordan Tripp, Youth Volunteer of the Year
- Sue Brown, Adult Rider of the Year
- Delaney Atkinson, Youth Rider of the Year
- Jan Hathaway, Dreamer of the Year
- Jessica Brown, Instructor of the Year
- Sally Ann Lyle, Lifetime Achievement Award
- Bob Dufresne, Best Supportive Spouse Award
The video below highlights the special awards presented, take a look and keep the tissue handy!