Our Featured Volunteer for April is Shannon Johnson!
“It has been a powerful program and I have enjoyed seeing in action the active role the horses play and the “ah ha” moments people have had. The horses have allowed people to learn important life lessons and skills. Without trying, they are teaching so much. It has been wonderful to witness how meaningful the program has been in the lives of those who have gone through it.” - Shannon Johnson.
Shannon is a person who can instantly make you feel comfortable and at home. As a Registered Psychologist, Shannon has been instrumental and contributed an enormous amount of value to our Equine-Support Wellness program that this year was funded by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and served women at Alice House.
Shannon and our team completed facilitator certification with The Mane Intent last August. We have been so thankful to have her with us for our debut “Healing with Halifax Horses” program. While Shannon has volunteered to help others, the program has also had a positive effect on her. She shared, “when I am at the barn, I am really there. It engages me in the present moment and I feel away from everything else. It’s like a little oasis in the middle of the city”. Compared to Shannons’s other volunteer experiences, this is the first which has focused on animals and she has enjoyed learning from her co-facilitators who have horse experience. She added, “it has increased my appreciation for the horses and allowed me to see what Lancers does in a different light. It is a unique setting, a true community, involving horses and humans. It even smells differently than other volunteer places. I didn’t like it at first but it has grown on me!”
Lending her expertise and her supportives is not the only way Shannon volunteers at Lancers. Both of her children ride at Lancers and she has done her fair share of helping with shavings deliveries, barn clean up days, and Christmas day chores. She eagerly awaits a waitlist slot in the adult beginner course so she can build on her childhood experiences of riding horses for fun. Even without riding, Shannon already had some favourite horses. She has a soft spot for Rainey who her daughter likes, she enjoys Rupert for his quirky and fun personality, and Ava because she was an absolute gem during the program!
When asked why she chose to volunteer with us, Shannon explained: “it is a community I feel good supporting because I see what it does for young people. It is an organization I want to stay and thrive.” It is because of people like Shannon that Lancers is and will continue to thrive.
Shannon, you have already done so much to share the benefits of the #HorsesOfHalifax with those in our HRM community. Thank you for all that you bring to Lancers and we can’t wait to see you in the saddle!
