Volunteers Lend an Invaluable Hand

Student Zoe walks her horse partner Gandalf out of the horse barn during a specialized therapy small group session of Hoof Harmony

Partnering with Horses to Learn About Self

April 9, 2024

September 16, 2022

It is true that “many hands make light work” and when community members came together at Green Chimneys for Family Volunteer Day, much was accomplished! On Saturday, September 10th, a team of nine families came to support our educational and therapeutic programming by contributing some sturdy farm and garden work.

True Team Effort in Support of Programs for Students

With 300 animals on campus and several large gardens, the project list consisted of tasks related to animal care and seasonal gardening activities. Volunteers cleaned animal stalls and paddocks, and performed trail maintenance to restore paths and walkways throughout the farm and wildlife areas. In the school’s Children’s Garden and at Boni-Bel Farm, they participated in weeding, pruning, and harvesting and also planted fall mums and assembled flower arrangements. These are crucial jobs on any farm but for a special education school and treatment center that focuses on a nature-based approach, helping staff maintain the facilities so that they are clean, safe, and ready for use is critically important in the services being provided to the children who attend Green Chimneys.

The team of 13 adults and 13 kids completed a total of seven projects. Said one first-time volunteer, “We had such a great time, I am glad we could be involved.”

“Volunteerism is a wonderful way to get involved in your community and it can be especially valuable to families who wish to impart the spirit of giving to their children,” says Volunteer Coordinator Josh Lipshitz. “The day was a wonderful success and we’re so grateful to our participants for their time, their energy, and their incredible support. We could not have accomplished all we did, without them.”

Opportunities to Help

Plans are underway for Family Volunteer Day to take place twice a year; the next one is currently scheduled for spring 2023.

For those looking to volunteer year-round, Green Chimneys maintains an active volunteer program with numerous opportunities to spend time in the barns and take care of the animals, which include horses, camels, sheep, goats, llamas, pigs, and cows, plus birds of prey and other wildlife. Gardeners at heart will also find tending opportunities from flower beds to farm fields. Find out about volunteering at Green Chimneys

Gyrfalcon

Crowned the best for falconry in medieval times, gyrfalcons were once reserved for kings. As the largest falcon in the world, with exquisite plumage ranging from bright white to deep charcoal, gyrs are revered for their powerful skill of flight. Their long wings make hunting waterfowl from 3,000-feet-high a feasible and fantastical feat. This falcon was flown in the sport of falconry for several years.