At Altruic Advisors, it's an honor and a privilege to serve nonprofit organizations. Our accountants work with many amazing people who dedicate their lives to creating good in the world. Each organization is special in its own way, and our Client Spotlight series helps us share their stories!
On a 46-acre equine facility near Ann Arbor, Michigan, Therapeutic Riding, Inc. (TRI) offers a therapeutic horseback riding environment for children and adults with disabilities. Volunteers and staff members (including four instructors certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) help serve people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and other challenges. Riders vary in age from 4 to 80, with with 70% under the age of 18.
TRI classes offer a variety of horseback riding experiences for different ages and abilities, including private, semi-private, and group riding lessons, and lessons in showmanship and grooming/tacking. TRI also offers summer camps, partnerships with medical facilities, and continuing education for volunteers. Their custom-designed facility houses 15 specially trained horses with a heated indoor arena and 13 acres of fenced pasture, in addition to an observation room, offices, and meeting rooms for staff and visitors. Constructed in 2010, this new facility greatly expanded the program capabilities of TRI, enabling them to serve many more riders in a year-round environment.
Volunteers are the heart of TRI, with 190 volunteers donating 9,230 hours in 2016. Volunteers range in age almost as widely as their riders, and 52% have been with TRI for three years or more. TRI's longest-serving volunteer has assisted riders for more than 20 years!
Since obtaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 1984, TRI has been 100% community-supported through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. TRI receives no federal or state funding. Their annual TRI-FECTA fundraiser is a unique spin on a horse "race," with donors placing "bets" on their favorite therapy horse. At the end of the campaign, the horse with most bets wins a day of equine pampering. Financial assistance for riders is available through the Sam and Juliana Zirinsky Memorial Scholarship Fund, to ensure that finances are never a barrier to participation.
How Can You Support Therapeutic Riding, Inc?
Donate to TRI
Help keep the horses fed and the riders in the saddle! Donations are accepted via check, credit card, and Paypal. Donating goods instead? Take a look at the TRI "Wish List" for items needed to maintain a safe and comfortable therapy environment.
Volunteer with TRI
Join the amazing volunteer team that makes up the core of TRI. Volunteers serve as sidewalkers, horse leaders, mounting assistants, and grooming assistants. Prior experience with horses or persons with disabilities is not necessary for sidewalkers. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old and capable of walking or jogging in sandy, uneven footing for up to 30 minutes at at time.