Who Benefits
In 1968, long time area educator W.R. Rochelle began the foundation of the agency to offer supports for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These supports would enhance the skills necessary to become as independent as possible in our community. Today Rochelle Center continues that mission.
Rochelle Center Programs & Services
For more information about Rochelle Center, p/ease visit our website:
www.RochelleCenter.org
www.facebook.com/RochelleCenter
Residential Services provide supported living opportunities in ten homes throughout the Nashville community. With the assistance of staff, individuals in supported living develop life skills and independence, while being active rnembers of our community. Community inclusion provides a wide array of activities that include volunteering, visiting local historical sites and opportunities for wellness and exercise through the partnership with Metro Nashville Parks. Action activities included are bowling and athletics; both for leisure enjoyment as weil as cornpetitively. lndividuals volunteer to help feed the hungry in our comrnunity. These opportunities create and develop skills that can translate into paid employment in the community as weil as provide a sense of giving back to the community they enjoy. Various tracks of cornrnunity participation and involvement are developed as the des1res of those supported are identified. Everyone loves to travel and those we support are always ready! Most recent trips include Hawaii, Las Vegas for a concert, while another group enjoyed Panama City!
Community Supported Employment as an Employment First provider, training and supports to transition individuals from volunteer activities·to integrated independent employment in the community are an important first step. Employrnent Specialist and Job Coaches assist to make the transition to independent employment a natural fit for both those we support and the businesses for whom those supported are ernployed. Once an the job training is satisfactorily cornpleted a transition to unsupervised employment with employers takes place. Employment Specialists and Job Coaches continue to act as a liaison with businesses to ensure quality workmanship while assisting with any updates to new skills and training needs as they may arise.
For 33 years, Saddle UpI, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, has been transforming the lives of children and young adults with disabilities through the movement and motIvatIon of the horse. With the help of generous donors like you, Saddle Up! annually empowers over 240 special equestrians ages 2 to 26 to grow stronger and thrive by employing a care team of trained instructors, therapists, therapy horses, and volunteers.
More about SaddleUp!
To learn more, please visit:
saddleupnashville.org.
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As Middle Tennessee’s largest and oldest Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH lntl.) Premier Accredited Center exclusively serving children and young adults, Saddle UpI is often recognized as the benchmark facility for best practices in ourindustry. A premier accreditation ensures that our programsare safe and evidence based and that our management staff, certified instructors, and licensed therapists adhere to the strictest professional standards. Saddle Up! therapeutic riding programs include Adaptive Riding, Therapy Services, Equestrian Club, Equine Assisted Learning From the Ground Up! (EAL for community partners), lnteractive Vaulting, Fun on the Farm summer programs, and Alumni Transitions, a program serving Saddle Up! graduates, many of whom have aged out of other services.
Our therapy horses are carefully selected and trained and then matched to the needs of each rider and theirvolunteer team. The non-judgmental relationship between horse and rider, the encouragement of each team member, and the warm and familiar environment of our 34-acre farm often allows a child to go beyond what they have achieved in other set1ings gaining confidence that impacts every aspect of their Jives. The life-changing influence of your support can be best described by Mackenzie, mother of Saddle Up! rider Ephraim, who rides in our opening ceremony today.
‘”I was amazed watching Ephraim during his first weeks at SaddleUp! He would comeout of lessons just exuberant. Soon, his instructor was gushing about how quick he was to pick up on what she was teaching and how naturally this came to him. And I said to her, in amazement, “Nobody has ever said that my kid was a fast leamer. That’s not how this goes.” She said, this is going to be his thing. That feellng of •finding his thing• was such a good one because he has struggled with all of those things that are delayed compared to typical children his age. lt has been so exciting to watch his confidence unfold. Saddle Up! is just a huge blessing.’
In Ephraim’s own words, “I’m great at horses. That’s another ane of my strong suits.”
With your support, Saddle Up! will continue helping riders like Ephraim defy all expectations, both in the saddle and beyond, for many years to come.
