From Bob Jehn of Rotary Club of Burney-Fall River
On Sunday, September 30, over 30 Interact students from both Burney and Fall River High Schools devoted their day to community service at HALO (Horses Assist Lives Organization) in McArthur.
Interact students from Burney and Fall River cleaning up animal pens at HALO.
At HALO horses are being used to help patients with mental and physical disabilities. They also assist those in need and spend time with hospice and palliative care patients. Participants are able to learn more about the very gentle giants and put their own pain aside for a while.
Ginger Wagner Ramsay-Roark runs the program and said not only does the therapy distract clients from their own health hurdles, it helps them overcome other issues. Ginger says, “Everyone is welcome at HALO.”
HALO is a non-profit organization operating solely on grant funding and private donations.
The Interact students helped clean up animal pens, cleared brush, picked up acorns, and smoothed gravel paths in a cleanup effort that Ramsay- Roark said she never gets caught up on. The students also painted rocks with sayings from their hearts to leave for the clients who are helped by the HALO program.
Some of the rocks the Interact students painted during their breaks from cleanup at HALO.
Interact student Katharina Schatz, this year’s Rotary Exchange student from Austria, was able to scratch an item off her bucket list as HALO staff gave her lessons in horseback riding right before a delicious BBQ lunch was provided for the Interact students.
Rotary Exchange student Katharina Schatz from Schopperhau, Austria poses with Peter who she is about to ride. One of Katharina’s bucket list items while she is in the United States was to ride a horse.
Interact is a Rotary-sponsored organization whose mission is to perform community service and promote international understanding. Each Interact Club at Burney and Fall River High Schools performs many local community service projects each year, including community cleanup, visiting nursing homes, and helping non-profits at fundraising events.
: Interact students from Burney and Fall River High Schools take a break from their cleanup effort at HALO to pose for a group photo.
Last year students, hosted by the Rotary Club of Agua Prieta, Mexico visited an orphanage and senior center, planted 70 trees, painted playground equipment, and gave soccer balls to underprivileged children in Mexico.
Pit River Country 