It has been a bumpy year, but the team at Giant Steps has many blessings to count during this season of giving thanks. We wanted to share them with you as there are so many who support us, and make our work possible.
- We are grateful that we get to work with our amazing clients and their families. Each week, we get to witness their successes, and experience their joy. We get to be a safe space of belonging for them. While we can’t be with all of our clients this year, we still draw energy from them to keep pushing forward!
- We are grateful to our wonderful volunteers who donate their time, treasure and talent. If ever there was a group of people who said, “Sure thing. I can help with that. What else can I do?”, this is the group. They are tireless and giving! We couldn’t do it without them, and thankfully don’t have to.
- We are grateful for our 14 loving horses. They truly give their all to their work. Theirs are not the typical riders. Many of our clients are unbalanced, loud, and inconsistent. But our horses know instinctively that a little extra patience goes a long way. They remain the heart and soul of this program.
- We are grateful for our beautiful location in Sonoma County. We are surrounded by nature, and gorgeous vistas. We have the facilities we need, and wonderful SHP grooms who care for our horses and our facilities.
- We are grateful to our board, especially during this most interesting year. They have supported us through countless Zoom calls, and many tough decisions. They came to help exercise horses when needed, and have continued to push us forward in our planning for the future.
- We are grateful to our donors. Our budget is raised through donations large and small. Each one is valuable to us. We know that our donors have lots of organizations they could support, and they chose to support us. We promise to spend the gifts wisely.
- We are also grateful to each other. We are a small but mighty staff. We send special homage to our instructors as the November Volunteers of the Month. We have had grumpy moments, anxious moments, and sad moments this year. But we have also had joyful moments. And we have always known that we have each other’s backs.
We send you best wishes and deep appreciation to each of you during this season of giving thanks.