Perks Family Equine Center
Hope and Healing with Horses
The youth in our community are suffering. Our children are crying for help, and this project will play a major role in the intervention needed to improve their lives and set them up for a lifetime of success.
PROJECT FUNDING
Through the leadership of the Perks Family Foundation and their lead gift, momentum is building. The Rockford Park District Foundation is raising $10 million to develop and sustain a world-class regional facility.
To date, more than half of the goal has been raised thanks to lead gifts from the Perks Family Foundation, The Blazer Foundation and support from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board.
In addition, the Rockford Park District has committed funds to support the project.
About the Project
The need for an indoor riding arena at Lockwood Park has been apparent to the Rockford Park District for decades. Based on the 2018 Community Engagement Survey and subsequent Strategic Action Plan, the Park District Board of Commissioners supported the development of Lockwood Park as a regional park location to invest in strategically. In August of 2021, the Park District leadership began a series of meetings to engage with community stakeholders and other interested parties to determine whether the community would support the investment in an indoor equine center at Lockwood Park. It was determined that an indoor equine center was the most critical need for the park and would be a vital addition to serve the needs of youth living with mental health issues, developmental disabilities, trauma, domestic abuse, substance abuse, and other needs.
Why horses?? Equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy work partly because of horses' natural ability to pick up on human emotional expressions and needs. Exceptionally patient, perceptive, and attuned to displays of fear, anger, agitation, and despair, horses can mirror human moods nonjudgmentally without motive or expectations. As a person bonds with the horse, self-awareness grows and emotional healing often occurs.
Equine-Assisted Learning activities provide a safe place for self-discovery and challenges where individuals with special developmental and mental health needs can:
improve communication
build self-esteem and confidence
develop empathy and tolerance for stress
improve self-regulation, teamwork, & trust
foster behavioral changes
acquire new skills
improve coordination, mobility & sensory processing
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is a therapeutic process involving a licensed, credentialed Mental Health Professional and a qualified Equine Specialist who structure sessions incorporating horses to address the client's treatment plan or learning goals effectively. Not to be confused with therapeutic riding, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy helps with issues such as addiction, domestic abuse, behavioral disorders, depression, anxiety and trauma.
What Others Are Saying About the Project
“We chose to invest in this project because it is one of the only places in our region where our children can blossom through the connection to horses. Our family believes that this equine center can help serve our community and provide a new avenue to help those with mental health issues. As a youth I was fortunate enough to experience real ranch living and working with horses, and I know the lifelong lessons that youth can gain from exposure with livestock on a regular basis. This connection to horses teaches, in a very deep, impactful way, how to listen and respond to others without speaking, how to care and feel without embarrassment, and how to achieve without bullying. Horses are simply one of the greatest human teachers in history, and we wanted to give this opportunity to all the children in the area.”
“The year-round flexibility to provide this expanded programming of Equine Assisted Activities and/or Equine Assisted Psychotherapy through partnerships with organizations such as ours, creates avenues for lasting change to help even the most difficult to reach youth. I have witnessed transformational development with the use Equine Assisted Activities. I am very excited for our youth and community with this all year center being developed.”
“There are many people in our community who are left unnoticed, unseen, and lacking hope. We are at a junction of unprecedented need and unprecedented opportunity. We cannot expect things to change if we are not willing to do things differently – expand our reach and our impact. In ongoing conversations with community stakeholders through our Healthy Community Study process, children’s mental health and social-emotional health was repeatedly identified as a priority. This project gets to the heart of these significant issues, by improving the lives of our children.”
“There is nothing like this anywhere in our region. It includes a number of therapeutic partners that will engage with the equine professionals to intervene and make a positive difference in the mental health and wellness of youth in Rockford. I believe this is a perfect opportunity to provide unique services to youth and families with mental and emotional trauma. I also believe this indoor equine center is a critical asset for kids all over our region and will put Rockford, Lockwood Park and the Indoor Equine Center on the map as one of the top in the country.”