Our Featured Volunteers of the Month are James, Maggie, CC, Brooklyn, and Jordan!
While each month we usually feature just one of our volunteers, we are still coping with our quarantine so it has been an unusual time. Therefore, we are compelled to feature not just one individual but FIVE of our junior riders who recently answered the call to Help the Horses of Halifax by organising bake sales to raise funds! Our junior riders James, Maggie, CC, Brooklyn, and Jordan are our featured volunteers for the month of June! Of course, we also have to give a shout out to Jess (James’ sister), Rachel (Jordyn’s sister and Addison (a friend) who also helped organise and run these two separate bake sales on Sunday, June 3rd! The city showed its support by purchasing the freshly homemade baked goods to the effect of raising over $800! The record might have been someone paying $20 for a single cookie!
It wasn’t long after we started our GoFundMe campaign that we received word from parents that some junior riders wanted to hold a bake sale to raise money. CC and James from ride 11 had spoken about wanting to do something for the horses. James’ mum Alison (an adult rider) (gently) discussed with him the financial impact of the quarantine and Alison explained the GoFundMe campaign but as a ten-year-old, it wasn’t a concept James had come across before. Later on in the day, after clearly having the horses on his mind all day, James told his mum, “I have had an idea for the lancers. If we have a bake sale downtown we could give the money to the lancers. I was thinking that we could organize it with my ride?” CC was immediately on board with the idea and they set out to hold their bake sale! CC and James’s households set off to make everything - even the chocolates - and then set up shop in the Stables’ parking lot.
At much the same time, on the other side of the city, Brooklyn (R11) also had the idea to hold a bake sale. At school, Brooklyn and Maggie (R7) were talking about the sick horses and how the barn needed money to take care of them. According to Maggie, Brooklyn proposed a bake sale and she thought it was a great out so they recruited Jordyn, Jordyn’s sister Rachel, and Addison, a friend who helped even though she doesn’t ride! Maggie explained, “we decided we could have it at the park close to where we all live. We handed out flyers around the neighbourhood, and told all out friends about it!” The Lancers as well as others (grandmothers, aunts, even friends who have done Lancer camps before) baked all the items!
The love of the horses and the passion for Lancers that these riders have is so evident. Jordyn explained that she “decided to join because [she] loves the horses and [she] wanted to help them feel better the best way I can”. James wanted to help “so that the horses could get better”. CC added: “I wanted to do anything I could. At least this makes us feel like we can do something to help the horses." While the Lancers were helping the horses, they also found the experience taught them a few things. Jordyn said that she “learned how generous people can be, and how much three kids can accomplish, raising 530.00!” According to Brooklyn, the experience taught her that “even when the weather is cold and windy, people will come out to support a worthy cause.” CC noted that "I learned how much people in Halifax love the horses at Bengal Lancers. People were so generous. And even if they didn't have money with them, they were interested in how the horses are doing." James’s little sister Jess evidently learned that “some people (the CTV man) just drive around town looking for news!” The result of that was the bake sale feature on the CTV news!
These two bake sales may initially seem like a modest event but not only did they take a lot of time and preparation (and baking!), but they are incredibly inspiring. First, it show just how strongly these young riders feel about riding, the horses, and Lancers, and second, it shows the power of youth; they were proactive, compassionate, saw a need, and found a way to make it happen! That is a wonderful display of the Lancer spirit and we are so fortunate to have these great Lancers among us!
See the news clip here: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1409215
