JAMES CITY COUNTY — Saddle up and put on your finest cowboy hat for the Dream Catchers Bridles & Boots fundraising gala.
On Saturday, May 17 at 4 p.m., the Dream Catchers facility transforms to host the popular fundraising event that begins with an extended cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres, with live entertainment by the DOG Street Boys.
Attendees will tour the barn and meet the herd of therapy horses, watch the Preakness on the jumbo screens, and enjoy an elegant buffet dinner while participating in a live auction Paddle Raise.
“The primary focus of the evening is to raise money for our scholarship funds,” said Executive Director, Nancy Williams. “We host this grand event and have a lot of fun but, we get pretty serious with our auction. Our goal is to raise the funds needed for all our therapeutic riders and services to help offset the costs.”
She continued, “Our tuition does not reflect our actual cost — which we feel is not in the affordable range for most people to have to be responsible for that. We want to make our services accessible to everybody in our community and thanks to the generosity of the amazing people in our area we have a significant scholarship fund — meaning we don’t have to turn someone away due to financial need. To my knowledge, we have not done so as long as I have been in this role — in fact we have increased our offerings.”
Working with the horses provides an opportunity that allows everyone, including those with limitations, to work on a variety of skills. Dream Catchers enriches the lives of children, adults, and families through equine-assisted services offering education, empowerment, healing, and hope.
The nonprofit focuses on equine-assisted services to help develop healthier, more productive citizens creating a positive impact for our community today and in the future.
“In terms of the programs we offer — we have therapeutic riding and horsemanship to ground-based equine-assisted learning and this year, with the generosity of the Williamsburg Community Foundation, we have been able to start a therapeutic driving program. We now have carts and some of our horses are able to pull carriages so, we can help create a bond just not in the saddle — they are still connecting in a very important way — allowing us to expand the population we serve.”
The Bridles & Boots fundraiser will provide resources for the organization to continue and build its programs.
“This event has become so popular and I think the secret to that is the horses. People love to come and meet our herd. This year, since people want to spend more time with the horses, we have expanded our cocktail hour to two hours. That way there is more time with the horses and enjoy the outdoors,” Williams said.
“Music and a good time, the auction, it should be a real great time!”
Read more about the organization — Dream Catchers: More Than Just Horseback Riding
