What do astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar and country singer Tommy Hunter have in common?
They are both avid supporters of the Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre located in Puslinch Township.
They were at Sunrise on June 26 “Celebrate Sunrise” open house.
Board president and co-chair of Celebrate Sunrise Ann Caine emphasized, “That every child grows up and when a child with a disability grows up they still need support” and thus came the life skills program.
Sunrise recently found a sponsor from Mississauga who has helped the centre plant a garden and established shelter for the horses and children.
Demonstrations were given by some of the students riding horses and pulling a cart. Bondar presented each rider with ribbons. Sunrise is not just a place where one goes to ride a horse but the whole group is a community supporting each other. Caine said, “That sitting on a horse is wonderful therapy for anyone because it uses many muscles of your body.”
There are about 120 participants who come every week to Sunrise as well as public schools come out on a rotating basis. The students come from Kitchener, Cambridge and Wellington County.
The centre was founded 34 years ago but purchased its present farm some years later.
At Celebrate Sunrise it was announced that the centre has received a $60,000 grant from Scotiabank over three years to support the Life Skills Day Program.
During the afternoon it was hoped that the audience would gain a better understanding of the importance of Sunrise in the daily lives of the children and adults who paricipate in the program.
