Earth Week Give 2023
Redemption Stories
Healing Reins
“The BottleDrop redemption program in Central Oregon serves as an inspiring example of how recycling and charitable initiatives can work together to make a positive impact. The BottleDrop program offers a simple and convenient way for individuals to recycle their beverage containers while also supporting organizations and their efforts to improve and lift up the people around them.”
Famous horse racer and trainer, Sandy Collier, once observed that “horses reach into your soul, pull out the good and heal what isn’t.” Those words ring true at Healing Reins Equine Assisted Services, which serves over 190 children, teens, and adults experiencing disabilities and special needs in Central Oregon each week.
Over 100 volunteers at Healing Reins, along with a talented staff certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), help visitors build physical, mental, and emotional well-being through engagement with horses. PATH notes that interaction with horses improves social, emotional, cognitive, and physical issues while improving self-esteem.
So, when the folks at Healing Reins were looking for ways to decrease barriers and get more people connected with the healing power of horses, they turned to bottles and cans. Since 1971 in Oregon, beverage containers have been a powerful resource – both a financial resource that helps community groups supercharge their positive good through redemption funds, and a physical resource, captured and recycled again and again to protect the earth and dramatically reduce the impact of litter in Oregon’s special places.
In addition to funding scholarships, the team at Healing Reins is also using funds from beverage container redemption to make ADA-aligned improvements at their Tumalo facility, removing barriers and helping even more Central Oregon residents by making their services inclusive and accessible for all.
There’s something special about the bond between people and horses, and nobody knows that more than those who are fortunate enough to count horses like Ace, Cappy, Ember, Enzo, Fancie, Moose, Swamper, Tuffy and Yoda (and many more!) among their weekly social network. Redemption, one equine session at a time, meeting people where they are with a gentle giant ready to pull out the good and heal what isn’t.
Do you want to be part of the Healing Reins redemption story? You can donate funds from your Green Bag account to help support their efforts.
