CHALLENGES & SILVER LININGS

As all of us know, 2020 has been a year like no other. MVRU was deeply affected, both positively and negatively. Complete closure of our facilities in March, followed by a safe, gradual and limited reopening,  acutely impacted revenue and our capacity to serve. In spite of these challenges, we delivered safe, enriching, and comforting experiences to our community when it needed it most.

Reinventing programs and staffing during a pandemic yielded surprising silver linings, including the availability of eager college student staff learning remotely from the Methow Valley, high demand for COVID-safe outdoor activities, and renewed demand for the need and power of human-animal contact to ease social and physical isolation.

WE ARE GRATEFUL

In 2020, we proudly served over 70 participants between the ages of 4 and 74. As many of you have shared with us, whether grooming and hugging one of our ponies or mounting up to challenge yourselves by learning new skills, interacting with our incredible horses proved critical to your own mental and emotional health. Our programs created a much-needed support system. In 2020, our participants masked-up, struggled, bonded, laughed, and thrived - together, healing, learning, and developing confidence and independence in the process.

In normal times, MVRU operates with narrow margins, reinvesting revenue directly into our programs, staff, horses and community. 2020 forced us to tighten our 'girths' considerably. In the process, we have been reminded of the value of providing safe, enriching activities for our community.  We are grateful.