Leadership Venice Class of 2021 Announces Class Project

June 7, 2021 – Sarasota

The Leadership Venice Class of 2021, through the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a 501c3, has selected InStride Therapy located in Nokomis, Florida as the recipient of their class project. The class will upgrade the Sensory Arena at InStride to improve hippotherapy sessions and ultimately help individuals of all abilities reach their fullest potential.

InStride serves 70 children and adults per week, from Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and Desoto/Hillsborough counties, through Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech Therapy (SLP). They also offer Therapeutic Riding and Equine Assisted Learning Programs in partnership with other organizations. During a typical hippotherapy session the horse provides between 1,200 and 1,600 unique kinesthetic stimulations in a single half hour session, six times that of traditional therapies.

The Sensory Arena will include a sand path, a wooden board path, a stone path, a sensory garden with horse friendly plants, and multi-touch point activity boards. Riders will be able to engage all their senses through touching various textures and shapes, smelling scents flowing through the air, seeing colorful painted sea creatures, hearing the sounds of nature, and feeling their body movements coinciding with the undulating motion of the horse while it traverses a variety of terrain.

The therapy provided by the horses helps riders build confidence, self-awareness, self-respect, and dignity. The InStride therapists have seen first-hand the results of Hippotherapy, and they are confident the updates and expansion of the Sensory Arena will have a positive impact in the lives of their clients.

The class plans to begin construction on the project in July with a completion date set for late September. Do you want to help make a difference in the life of someone living with disabilities? We would appreciate material in-kind and monetary donations to assist in the completion of the project. For additional information, please contact Barbara Hines, Leadership Venice Director, atbhines@venicechamber.com.