Dedicated to improving living conditions and providing crucial assistance for all equine creatures, but especially for physically, physiologically abused, neglected, troubled or abandoned and unwanted equines, by providing shelter, care, rehabilitation, retraining and adoption into forever homes; or retirement within an environment of physical well-being and trust.  Spirit Wind also seeks to increase beneficial human and equine relationships through equine/human interaction and education, and to offer help to equine owners in times of natural or personal disaster.

Thanks to the Families Plus community for a wonderful dinner and to the volunteers who made it happen! 

Families Plus, a 501(c) (3) organization, here in Delta, Colorado seeks to gain support from the Kids' Pasta Project to expand outreach to the community.  The goal is to increase Families Plus service to reach a total of 55 children in the coming year. To do so will require additional monies. 

The mission of Families Plus is to nurture at-risk children in the Delta County, Colorado area. To accomplish this mission, the program provides trained volunteer family mentors (often active seniors) who remain permanently involved with their assigned families, mental health care professionals, caring community support and training to help these children and their families build a healthy future together.

Family mentoring is an innovative concept that was pioneered by our Director, Dr. Brenda Holland, a practicing clinical psychologist. In it, a child is matched with a mentoring family (not just an individual adult as in so many other mentoring programs) where he/she can participate in a variety of family experiences. The child's entire family as well as the child can benefit and learn from their exposure to the mentors. The mentoring family becomes an adjunct part of the child's family, not just a part-time "friend," as the mentors provide gentle guidance to the entire family to help the child develop into a well-functioning and complete member of society, self-sufficient and with a vastly improved quality of life. 

To further envelop the child in support, Families Plus enlists the support of the child's school teachers, a trained family "friend," a financial supporter for the child, and a mental health care professional (psychologist, social worker, or professional counselor) that acts as the mentoring manager to coordinate all the levels of support.  Periodic meetings of the support team are held to review progress, implement further solutions and plan future actions.

Youth volunteers this week came from Hotchkiss K-8, North Fork Montessori School, Vision Home & Community Program, Hotchkiss High School and The Compass School and ranged in age from eight to fifteen.  The donation to Families Plus was $175.