The Windsor Essex Therapeutic Riding Association is benefitting from a nearly $50,000 donation from a Toronto based company.
MeloTel Phone Company CEO John Meloche first learned of WETRA through his niece who benefits from the programs at the stable.
"I like to donate to causes that actually mean something to me, and this cause means something to me," said Meloche. "My brother has expressed remarkable changes in [my nieces] self-confidence and she really loves coming here. To me, that is worth everything."
With the donation, the company is sponsoring the care of Scout, one of the 20 horses at the stable and supporting the everyday operations of the organization.
"The most exciting thing about the money John has been raising for us is that they are not restricted funds. He's telling us you need funds to run your programs, you run your programs. So we will care for the horses and we will make sure that people receive services here with the funds that his company and he himself have given us," said Becky Mills, Executive Director at WETRA.
WETRA supports around 140 weekly riders and hosts a number of groups including students, seniors and first responders. The organization counts entirely on donations and grants to run their program.
