Shining Hope Farms

Shining Hope Farms is a nonprofit whose mission is to enable children and adults to reach their full potential through the use of equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT). Our organization’s 3 locations serve the Western Piedmont region of North Carolina (Mt. Holly, Charlotte, and Conover, NC).

Founded in 2002 in response to the needs in the community to provide therapeutic services in a farm environment for individuals with disabilities, we have grown exponentially in the 20 years since. Our current programs include 1) Therapy Services (occupational, physical, and speech therapy, utilizing the horse as a treatment tool, a strategy known as hippotherapy, as well as counseling services utilizing equine assisted psychotherapy), 2) Therapeutic Riding, and most recently 3) Saddles & Salutes—an EAAT program for

Veterans.

Our organization has achieved a great number of milestones over the past 20 years including a) becoming a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center (Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International—the main global authority for EAAT b) becoming a model and pro bono consultant to new 

organizations looking to start similar programs, and c) maintaining the GuideStar Exchange Gold participation level, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability.

In 2002, we began with one instructor, at one location, serving 25 children weekly. Today we have grown to meet the needs of the community to nearly 50 staff members consisting of specialized occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists, numerous PATH Intl. Certified Riding Instructors and Equine Specialists among others who help serve around 200 individuals weekly.

Our biggest achievement however is the impact that we have made in the community by facilitating thousands of clients to reach medical and personal milestones over the years. We have helped so many clients to reach their full potential and become productive citizens in our community, all while keeping our services financially accessible to our local families, especially those that are low-income.