September 2024 Update
Join the Fun
Halloween Shodeo
The Halloween Shodeo is an event like no other – horses and humans dressed in costumes, trick or treating in the barn, and students performing a trail pattern for friends, family, and guests. This event is loads of fun, but the reason we hold this event each year is extremely important.
One reason why we hold this event is because our students work very hard, year round, to overcome obstacles and that is worth celebrating! We want to spend the entire day putting them in the spotlight and celebrating their hard work, perseverance, and progress.
The other reason we are holding the Halloween Shodeo is to fundraise and help ensure that all costs of operating a working therapeutic horse farm are covered.
With our facility being under construction, we were unable to hold our annual Renew Roundup BBQ Dinner Fundraiser. Events like the Roundup function to raise the money needed to meet the annual budget and ensure our community has access to the equine assisted services they need. The tuition charged to participants who are able to pay for services covers approximately 25% of the actual cost of services, and the Renew family has faithfully and extravagantly given to make up the difference over the past 15 years.
Would you like to partner with Renew and help raise the funds that would have been given through the Roundup? There are many ways to give. Thank you for considering partnering with us in this way – your gifts are directly impacting students’ lives and we are forever grateful!
Donate to Support a Student or Make a General Donation
You can choose to make a donation in support of a specific student (the student, with the help of a volunteer, that raises the most donations will receive a free session of therapeutic riding lessons), or you can make a general donation.
Become a Sponsor
We are looking to secure a $500 personal or corporate sponsor for each of the 30 students participating. Click the button below to email Cassie at communications@renewtrc.org to find out more.
Ride With Renew
Campaign Update
As many of you may know, Phase Two of the Ride With Renew capital campaign launched earlier this year with the deconstruction of the aging hog barn and the construction of a new, fully accessible horse barn. This new building will provide our community with a safe, fully accessible space for expanded equine assisted services year round, while also allowing us to provide exemplary care for our equine ministry partners.
The Renew family has faithfully partnered in the mission over the past 15 years, and we would like everyone to be a part of this exciting new phase of service. As we near the finish line and seek to raise the remaining funds to finish the horse barn, we are inviting everyone to sponsor a paver.
Each paver is $100 and will be placed in the center aisle of the new construction. Sponsor as many you’d like. If you would like to sponsor a paver in memory or honor of someone else, please email that information to Cassie at communications@renewtrc.org after completing the sponsor form via the link below. Every person who sponsors a paver ($100 donation) will have their name added to a commemorative plaque that will be displayed in the finished horse barn.
Be a part of Renew history and let’s cross the finish line together!
Sponsor A Paver
Renew’s Blessing of the Horses & Fall Festival
Every September Renew opens up the farm and invites the entire community to enjoy a day of making memories. While the weather felt a little more like July, it was a beautiful day for the 250+ people that attend the two events. A huge thank you to the pastors who came to pray over and commission the herd, the volunteers who donated their time and talents, the students who performed their drill pattern, Green Acres for lending us the straw horse for pictures, Sprinkles Donut Shop and Hudsonville Ice Cream for the yummy treats, Boeve Farms, and all of the people who came out. It was such a blessing to have you all and we hope to see you again next year!
Renew Welcomes First Chaplain Intern
Hello! My name is Lydia Ribich. I am a final year Master of Divinity Student from Western Theological Seminary. I chose to be a chaplain intern (a new intern role!) at Renew because I wanted to get involved and learn from the meaningful work they do alongside horses. In many ways, therapeutic horsemanship inherently practices spiritual care by embracing and tending to the ways we are all connected (to ourselves, bodies, animals, land, each other, and so forth). As a chaplain in training, I have learned that chaplaincy is a form of care that prioritizes a non-anxious presence. Marks of chaplaincy care include listening well, naming hardships, and frequently withholding advice. These practices, alongside other tools, are often developed in contexts involving grief and/or other complex emotions and often result in an increased capacity to be a caring presence and steward of spiritual care. I intend to develop relationships with, and patterns of chaplaincy care for, the staff, students, and volunteers at Renew. With the Renew team, I will be exploring how to best carry out their core values, particularly the Christ-centered value, within their programs and any other resources they offer to their community and one-another.
We hope that you get the chance to meet Lydia during her time at Renew. If you would like to get in touch with her, feel free to email her at lydia.ribich@renewtrc.org.
A Precious Gift Makes a New Home at Renew
The statue of Cori Sikich and her horse, Spy, arrived at Renew on March 27, 2024 and was stored onsite while the new barn was being built. The statue is on loan to Renew from the Cori Sikich Memorial Foundation, and is placed in front of the new barn to welcome all who come here. Cori Sikich grew up in the Chicago area with her twin sister Megan and her younger sister Sara. During high school, the family moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, and Cori became an avid equestrian. While at college, Cori developed an eating disorder which eventually caused her death on June 4, 2002. The Cori Sikich Foundation was established in her memory to provide support, opportunities, and the tools for children and young adults to live healthy and productive lives. Melissa Conner, Executive Director, is a long-time friend of the Sikich family and was honored to accept the gift of the statue at Renew’s property as a symbol of hope, love and possibility.
Upcoming Events
Boy, there are some fun things in store for the Renew family coming up! We hope you are able to join us for some or all of these exciting events!
Halloween Shodeo
Saturday, October 26 | 9:00-2:00P
The Halloween Shodeo is a day like no other. Come dressed in your best costume, watch the riders as they perform a trail pattern, trick or treat through the barn, and more.
Holland Parade of Lights
Tuesday, December 3 | 6:30P
Bundle up and head to downtown Holland for this magical parade. Keep an eye out for some of your Renew friends all decked out in festive lights and costumes. We hope to see you there!
Christmas Open House
Friday, December 13 | 5:30-6:30P
The Christmas Open House is free and everyone is invited. Cozy up to the fire while you drink hot chocolate or come out of the cold into the heated indoor arena to say hi to some of the horses, go on a scavenger hunt to find the horses’ favorite treats to fill their stockings, and enjoy some Christmas goodies.
Carolyn Stich Painting Party
Friday, December 13 | 6:30-8:30P
Carolyn Stich will once again join us in the much anticipated painting party. Bring your friends and your favorite beverage and join us as Carolyn walks us through how to paint a festive scene on canvas. Art supplies and goodies provided. Tickets are required and will go on sale on November 1.
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