$180,000
We did it! Thanks to a huge outpouring of support, NCEFT raised $180,000 at this year’s Gala. NCEFT would like to congratulate Gala committee members Nicole Buttitta, Betsy Glikbarg, Sarah Bryan Maroney, Susan Martin, and Suzanne Rischman for planning such a wonderful night. The staff and volunteers deserve a huge round of applause for making sure the event ran smoothly, and of course, we couldn’t have done it without the guests and sponsors who’s donations make our work possible!
“I wonder if the catering staff feels like part of something special?” It’s the same question that pops into my head every year at NCEFT’s gala. These people arrive expecting to pass around platters of mini lobster rolls and seared ahi, and instead find themselves cheering on Fund-A-Need bidders and tearing up while watching the story of a little boy who’s beating the odds. I guess this question comes unbidden into my mind because I can’t help but feel like part of something special. Though the name of our non-profit may incite thoughts of grandeur, when it comes down to it we’re more like a family than a titan of industry. So, to see a fundraiser so enormously successful, so flawlessly executed, it’s enough to give anyone a serious case of the warm fuzzies.
The whole night is almost like a dream sequence; lights dimming as the camera pans past tables covered with checkered cloths to land on a set of chestnut horses standing motionless at the end of the arena. The riders hold American Flags that stir faintly with the evening breeze as the sound of the National Anthem fills the air. Fade out to the clinking of silverware and murmur of conversation as guests begin dinner. As dusk turns to twilight, the energy changes. Bidder cards are waved in the air, laughter competing with the frenetic pace of the auctioneer’s calls. 
Before you know it, tables are emptying and the wooden dance floor rings with the sound of heeled boots beating time to Willie Nelson. As the crowds begin to thin, a little boy heads back to the barn to say goodbye to his friends. Wobbling down the aisle in a too big cowboy hat, he carries a bucket of hay, pulling small handfuls out for each of the horses.
What the catering staff feels I’ll never know. But I can say with 
certainty that every guest in attendance must have felt the magic that was created in that arena on Runnymede Road last Saturday. To attend the Gala is to change lives, to help children and adults who turn to NCEFT for horses, hope, and healing.
Americana is defined as objects–such as papers, books, or crafts–relating to America, specifically to its geography, history, and culture. In turn, the definition of “Flag” is a piece of cloth used as a symbol. The combination of red, white, and blue will forever be a symbol not only of the United States of America, but of the rich experiences, both bygone and current, of the people upon which our nation is built. For over 200 years the stars and stripes have represented a set of ideals, ones often worth fighting for.
This Saturday, NCEFT will offer Gala guests the opportunity to own a true piece of Americana. Flown in Afghanistan by the 2nd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, this Flag has an amazing provenance. Attendees can look forward to learning the flag’s story, and those of the marines who stand behind it, during the Fund-A-Need program following dinner. Everyone here at NCEFT looks forward to sharing this amazing piece of history with you!
As I was dropping hundreds of invitations to this year’s “Jewels and Jeans Gala” into the mailbox at Roberts Market, I thought about the chasm between NCEFT’s need for fundraising, and the public’s understanding of the costs associated with our facility. Our annual Gala raises roughly one-quarter of our year’s operating budget, funding horse care, patient scholarships, facility upkeep, and dozens of other areas of need. Though income from our services offered (hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, etc.) helps fund NCEFT, without the continued support from generous donors, we’d be unable to help all of the children and adults who seek therapy at our facility.
Unlike most traditional therapy centers, NCEFT employs a specialized staff with around the clock needs. These team members are at the facility 365 days a year, and accept food, board, and the occasional carrot, in exchange for their service. The 14 therapy horses under our care are vital to the success of our program, and as such, receive the best upkeep we can offer. However, employing a stable of horses comes at a cost, one that may surprise most. Let’s take a peek into the daily routine of a therapy horse, and see just what goes into keeping our barn running.
7 am – Horses get an individual portion of grass hay depending on their weight, height, and exercise level.
8 am – The Barn staff begin grooming and exercising horses set to work that day. Each horse receives an hour of individual attention.
9 am – Barn stalls and upper stall-paddock combos are cleaned and rebedded with fresh shavings.
10 am – Therapy sessions begin. Each session utilizes a horse handler, therapist, and as many as three volunteers. Up to three or four sessions may run every half hour.
12 pm – Horses get a specialized lunch with appropriate supplements and medications. Our horses receive everything from supportive care for sensitivity to diet changes to apple-flavored electrolytes.
5 pm – Therapy sessions end for the day and horses get an evening meal similar to their morning feeding.
When combined, the cost of twice daily feeding, individual grooming and exercise, stall cleaning, specialized supplemental grain, and session staffing (horse handler and therapist), comes out to between $115 and $300 a session, depending on the type of therapy.
So, we ask for your help. We ask that you consider giving to NCEFT in whatever way you can. Whether small or large, your donations make a difference to patients and families who find hope and healing within our fences. At $200, the purchase of a ticket to our Gala not only provides an evening filled with good food, great music, and fantastic company, but goes so far towards helping children like Chase. Doctors predicted Chase would never walk or talk, but four years after starting therapy at NCEFT he’s doing both.
Horses. Hope. Healing. Three simple words that when combined have the power to transform lives. NCEFT is centered around helping people. We are about compassion, inclusiveness, and offering the highest level of service to those in need. We do this by harnessing the unique connection between horses and humans. NCEFT is also about community. Many of our clients and families describe NCEFT as a place that feels like home with people who feel like family.
