Causes: Developmentally Disabled Centers, Disabilities, Human Services

Mission:
•The mission of Partners For Progress is to provide alternative equine therapeutic programs to individuals with physical, mental and emotional challenges. By using quality trained horses, each individual participant rider will have a chance to experience the highest quality therapeutic ride with maximum benefits.

Results: Partners For Progress is committed to:1.helping each individual that comes to our facility achieve their maximum personal potential, welfare, and self-achievement, 2.paving ground in the field of equine therapy by continually thinking outside of the box for ways to assist these individuals, whether their need be emotional, mental, or physical in nature, and3.making equine therapeutic programs more efficient and effective, and are willing to share this information - once proven - with other equine therapy programs. All those who come to Partners For Progress are treated as an individual, and receive an evaluation delivered by a licensed Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, or a Speech/Language Pathologist to pinpoint deficit areas which impact the function of daily life. Once that evaluation is completed, therapist, instructor, family members, and participant (if able) work together to generate a treatment plan that is most affective and beneficial for the participants functional gain, allowing for unlimited possibilities. Our therapists and staff have designed the programs at Partners For Progress to be goal oriented utilizing measurable goals. Overall well-being health is promoted in an attempt to prevent the prevalence and progression of disease and disability. With measurable goals for the participants as well as the programs, progress is easily identifiable for the over 160 participants per week that we serve. Collaborative teamwork based on purpose is also integral to success for Partners For Progress. With a skeletal staff (compared to other equine therapeutic centers) and 5 years of documented outcome history, the programs at Partners For Progress have been able to attain a 70% goal achievement success rate. What does that mean? It means that 70% of the goals assessed to our participants are achieved, or for 70% of the opportunities presented the participant will demonstrate moderate or better progress toward the assigned goal. It is quite the moment to see the joy on a participants face when they realize that they are no longer limited due their achievement of a goal. To support our programs, Partners For Progress provides a quality of horse that falls within the top 5% of therapeutic facilities within the United States. A higher quality of horse allows for more functional gain which is a necessity to all of our participants. This exceptional level of equine quality and ability - which is of the greatest importance to the participant - is maintained through rigorous training, maintenance, and quality veterinarian care. Because of all this, Partners For Progress has been able to stretch our reach past the therapeutic needs of our participants. We are currently the only therapeutic riding center within the states of Illinois and Wisconsin that maintains a national traveling show team. This team participates in competition with the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), and its participants have achieved honors that include World Championship titles. As we look forward to 2012, some of our goals for continued growth are:
•Locate and financially secure a permanent home for our program
•Grow our overall program base with additional services, i. e. , supportive cancer therapy
•Grow our participant and volunteer population by 20%
•Continue staff education, training, and program development
•Expand vocational services and promote volunteer experiences to all populations

Target demographics: those with special needs

Direct beneficiaries per year: over 170 riders per week through their challenges to improve their abilities, building loads of self-esteem, confidence, and smiles.

Geographic areas served: Located in Lake County, Illinois, we serve individuals from Northeastern Illinois & Southeastern Wisconsin

Programs: Hippotherapy - Improves posture, movement, neuromuscular functions, sensory integration and speech through constant individual direct intervention, from either a physical or occupational therapist. Requires a physical therapy and/or occupational therapy prescription. Therapeutic Power Hour - Includes equine activities offered in a group structure. Areas of focus are cognitive skills, motor planning, visual perceptual skills, social interaction and sensory processing. Family, therapist and equine instructor collaborate to generate goals unique to each child or adult's needs. Therapeutic Sports Riding - Independence is the goal in this program. PFP’s sports riders develop riding skills, stable management skills (horse and tack care), and have the pportunity to join one of our show teams with Special Olympics, the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA), and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). Equine Facilitated Learning - For reasons that may forever be unknown, the horse holds a special captivation and an innate power by having the capacity to surround us with healing energy. This program fosters positive risk taking, leadership, social communication, independence, mental attitude, motivation and teamwork. Equine Facilitated Craniosacrial Therapy - Craniosacrial Therapy (CST) is a light touch manual therapy that addresses restrictions in the craniosacrial system and directly impacts the central nervous system. This program offers the best of Equine and Craniosacrial by combining equine facilitated therapy with CST techniques. Heroes on Horses - Our Heroes on horses program assists military veterans by providing equine activities, therapies, and riding programs tailored specifically to the needs of each veteran. Benefits may include increased balance, coordination, muscle strength, self-esteem, and self control along with developing riding skills.