HJ764: Commending the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 764

Offered February 2, 2021
Commending the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program.
Patrons-- Helmer, Kory and Murphy

WHEREAS, the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program (NVTRP) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2020; and

WHEREAS, the NVTRP was established in 1980 to provide equine-assisted activities such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy for individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, and returning veterans; and

WHEREAS, the NVTRP began operating as a strictly volunteer organization, using horses loaned by volunteers and offering services at South Run Park in Clifton, as part of the Fairfax 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program; and

WHEREAS, over the last 40 years, NVTRP has grown and expanded, becoming an independent  nonprofit organization in 1998 and purchasing Little Full Cry Farm, later renamed O’Shaughnessy Farm, in 2016 to provide a home for the more than 15 horses owned by the organization; and

WHEREAS, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NVTRP was forced to find new ways to continue its mission, restructuring in-person sessions and finding new ways to utilize technology to maintain connections with current clients and community members; livestreams of “Teddy Time” with NVTRP pony Teddy and “Good Night Farm,” an opportunity for clients to watch from their cars as the horses are fed and settled at the end of the day, have been particularly popular; and

WHEREAS, the NVTRP will continue to offer equine-assisted activities such as therapeutic riding and hippotherapy for individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, and returning veterans as it continues to grow and expand; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program on its 40th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jeff Wilklow, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Kelsey Gallagher, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, on behalf of the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, as an expression of the General Assembly’s high esteem and admiration for the organization’s contributions to the Commonwealth.