Equi-librium is a non-profit organization in Nazareth, PA offering healing through horses to over 100 individuals each week with physical, developmental, and behavioral challenges. Summer is a busy time on the farm at Equi-librium between summer camps, increased program offerings, and facilities projects across our 18-acre property. While this summer is no exception, uncharacteristic weather patterns have created atypical expenses and program challenges. This summer, we have had over 90 program cancellations, the majority of which were related to weather and air quality issues. While we are used to adapting to the occasional heat wave, the air quality concerns that our county has faced due to the forest fires in Canada have meant days of canceled services and therapies. While fees for service only cover about 40% of the true cost of our programs, many of ourprogram expenses are constant – including the care and keeping of our herd of therapy horses. A decrease in program revenue of this scope - approximately $4,000 - is significant as veterinary care, feed, and farrier needs do not take a break when the air quality index reaches a certain number. In fact, quite the opposite has proved true. In the past two months, we have incurred approximately $2,400 in veterinary expenses outside of normally scheduled vaccine visits, compared to about $250 in the first quarter of the year. Many of these visits were related to sudden changes in weather or air quality. In addition to increased expenses directly related to the horses, recent flooding has been the latest in a string of weather-related incidents. During the recent flood, damage was sustained throughout our property, including the driveway and parking areas, the outdoor arena, and the office basement. Thankfully due to our incredible staff, volunteers, and help from the township, we were able to quickly mitigate many of these issues, but they did not come without a cost. As a nonprofit organization with a history of serving our community that dates back over 40 years, we are no strangers to adversity. We plan and we budget, but so many factors are out of our control, including extreme weather. We know there are better – and cooler – days ahead, but we need our community’s help to support our operations through the summer so that we can continue to grow and develop our programs to the highest quality this fall. Contributions are tax-deductible and make a very tangible difference to our organization, our horses, and ultimately, our participants. Thank you for your generosity. With Gratitude, Jessie Shappell Executive Director Pictured Below: Flooding damage across the property Pictured below: an unfiltered view near our highway exit during the worst of the air quality issues this summer.
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