Volunteer

Volunteering with Circle of Hope

Volunteers are crucial to the success of the Circle of Hope program and its participants! Without volunteers Circle of Hope would not be able to offer this invaluable service! We would love (and greatly appreciate) your time as a Circle of Hope volunteer. There are several types of volunteer opportunities, so we’ll be sure to find one that find one (or two!) that matches your interest. Volunteering is great way to meet new people, and get involved with the community, It also provides you with a tremendous feeling of pride and satisfaction when you help others!

Start Volunteering

Volunteer Paperwork

Volunteer Manual & Videos

Working with participants and horses

Working with a horse and participant can be one of the most rewarding experiences when volunteering at Circle of Hope. In therapy riding sessions you have the opportunity to work with directly with our participants, and contribute to their individual success.

Requirements:

must be age 14 or older
attend a volunteer orientation and training (offered monthly)

A typical day for a volunteer may including a variety of different things such as:

Grooming and preparing therapy horses for riding sessions
Assisting with the preparation of a therapy session such as setting up games, obstacle courses, and more.
Assisting the participant before the session by helping with their helmet and walking to the mounting area
Being a side aide or horse leader during a riding session
Assisting with maintenance of equipment such as cleaning bridles, saddles and adaptive equipment

Each therapy session requires 3 volunteers, 1 volunteer will lead the horse and 2 side aides to assist and attend to the safety of the participant

Sessions:

Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday

Pleasant View Farm

Volunteers usually sign up to work at least 2 consecutive time slots on a weekly basis

Arrive: 30 minutes before the scheduled session time Session: runs for 30 minutes,

Clean up: usually lasts 15-30 minutes (putting equipment away, sweep, etc)

Its important volunteers arrive on time ready to prepare for the session. It’s possible that a participant may have to forfeit their session if there are not enough volunteers present.

As you can see, volunteers are very important to the success of our participants!

Student Service Learning hours

Working with Circle of Hope is a great way to earn school volunteer credit hours or explore a career path. The program is a fantastic way to meet new people, make friends and get involved with the community!

Volunteers perform many tasks that are vital to successful program operation. A typical day may include:

grooming horses
preparation of horses and arena for sessions
working with staff
providing feedback
exchanging ideas and making suggestions about participant’s sessions
assisting participants during their therapy sessions (under the guidance of the instructor)
leading the horse during the session,
safeguarding the participant during a session
caring for equipment.

Additional opportunities include

grant writing
fund raising
marketing
social media advertising
website development
photography
special events

Some of our high school and college-aged volunteers have pursued the following career paths:

Physical therapy
Occupational therapy
Physicians
Psychology
Sociology
Social workers
Athletic trainers
Veterinarians
Veterinary technicians
Non-profit development and fundraising,
Teaching
Marketing
Public relations
Event planning
And more!

Helping create public awareness and raise funds

Creating awareness and raising funds are important to the development and growth of the Circle of Hope program. If you have that special knack for writing, speaking, and raising money then we need you!

Circle of Hope is seeking assistance with:

grant writing
public relations
marketing
special events
fund raising
volunteer recruitment
corporate sponsorship
photography
social media advertising
website development
and more!