TherAplay got a deal when we got hooked up with these volunteers from Dealer Services Corporation. They came in on a mission, ready to get  their hands dirty. They did some much needed weeding and mulching in  our flower beds and sensory garden. The grounds got a major facelift thanks to their "get 'er done" attitudes. Many thanks to our new friends with Dealer Services! We hope to see them all again real soon!   


 

Our friends at WellPoint came out Saturday ready to get dirty and work hard! They cleaned this place from top to bottom and did it all with a smile on their faces! They gave our party room a fresh coat of paint, scraped and sanded our play-set, weather-proofed our benches, set-up 3 new bat houses for our unique TherAplay bat colony, laid tile flooring, cleaned the barn, the clinic, the kitchen and yes...even the bathrooms! We can't thank them enough for coming out on a cold, dreary morning and weathering the storm for a good cause.  We already can't wait for next year!

 

Our Occupational Therapists are now certified in Therapeutic Listening and after only two weeks of using this new tool, we are thrilled to report some great success stories! 

One of our kiddos diagnosed with autism, has been coming to TherAplay for X years.  During this time, among other goals, our therapists have worked to expand his verbal range beyond his ability to vocalize one or two sounds.  After his first therapeutic listening session at TherAplay, this kiddo is now chattering away with all sorts of new sounds!  While there are more goals to meet, this breakthrough is the jump start we’ve been looking for!

Another kiddo who is diagnosed with a chromosomal abnormality has been unwilling to walk for more than 10 – 15 steps before reaching for assistance or sitting down.  While her parents report they have seen some good progress this spring, they have seen nothing like what happened just last week at TherAplay!  After 10 minutes of Therapeutic Listening, this kiddo literally “took off” – with ear phones and MP3 player attached.  She walked non-stop for nearly 15 minutes enjoying the mild weather and taking in the scenery around the TherAplay grounds!  It was a beautiful day in more ways than one!

TherAplay needs to purchase additional Therapeutic Listening modules to build upon the success we have already seen with our kiddos.  On average, a module costs $45.  If you would like to donate funds to help us purchase additional modules and support other programs and services, click here now.  Thank you!   

More about Therapeutic Listening:  Developed by Vital Links, Therapeutic Listening is a research based tool for treating people who have difficulty with processing sensory information, listening, attention, and communication. High quality music, recorded specifically for Therapeutic Listening, is altered to exaggerate the sounds that naturally capture attention and tap into the parts of the brain involved in regulating bodily functions, relating to others, and organizing behavior.

Parents, teachers, and therapists worldwide have seen significant results by using Therapeutic Listening including:

• Increased Focus and Attention

• Better Moods

• Balanced Energy Levels 

• Greater Tolerance to Noise                                        
•  
• Improved Sleep                                     
•  
• Better Handwriting

• Fewer Tantrums

• Less Anxiety

There just aren't enough ways to say thank you to our friends at J.C. Hart Company, Inc. for all their hard work on Wednesday evening. They volunteered their time and expertise to help us with some much needed repairs around our great (but old) barn. Not only did they repair our sprinkler system, replace old piping, change filters and install a new spicket for our barn faucet, they also made time for the kiddo's as seen above. We are forever indebted!


 

Thursday was quite an emotional day here at TherAplay. Our girl Nikki provided her first round of therapy since her accident, and it went off flawlessly. We couldn't be more proud of Nikki's triumph over tragedy, nor can we say enough about how grateful we are of those who donated to her veterinary costs. We are also honored to have such patient, kind and knowledgeable staff to handle situations like this. And last but not least, while we're handing out props, we would like to thank our rider, who you may recognize from Marge's first ride. He's a true cowboy, willing to "break-in" any mare that comes his way. YEEHAA!

 

They don't come much sweeter than this!

      TherAplay's newest four-legged employee has officially clocked in! Marge gave her first round of therapy today, and as you can see from the above picture, her "client" was quite satisfied with the ride. We are so happy and excited to welcome Marge to the TherAplay Family. Feel free to stop by and greet her. We guarantee, she want won't turn down a carrot or peppermint.

Nikki is home and doing even better than we expected. It was amazing the way she relaxed the minute she walked off the trailer into her familiar arena.  We are so grateful to Janssen's Vet Clinic for taking such great care of her and for all those who stopped out to visit or made monetary contributions for her medical expenses. We also want to give a special thank you to our amazing Barn Manager, Shani Sutton. She has gone above and beyond in making sure Nikki is comfortable, safe and spoiled rotten.


 

Another visit with Nikki this morning. We're not sure when she will be able to come home, but she was happy to be groomed and even happier about all the apples and carrots:) Please continue sending her love as she adjusts to life without her left eye, which is quite a challenge for a horse. Nikki is hopeful to get back to work soon so she can show all the TherAplay kiddos that life goes on even if you have a "special need".

TherAplay is still happy and grateful to accept donations for her medical expenses. If you are interested please click on the 'donate now' button below.
 

Our faithful therapy horse Nikki had an accident last night leaving her with a detached retina, bone chips and facial fractures. Our special girl is undergoing emergency surgery this afternoon so she can continue to be a loving companion and therapy horse for TherAplay kiddos. Please send good wishes and positive thoughts to get Nikki back up and galloping. If you would like to contribute to Nikki's medical expenses please donate now. All monies will go toward her care and her fellow four legged staff who will be stepping in for Nikki during her recovery.




 

Though we are all still trying to catch our breath around here, we just had to take a minute to stop and thank all our supporters for such an amazing and succesful Hoe-Down! We could not have pulled it off without our dedicated board members, staff and volunteers, nor would it have been as lucrative without the generous donations of our sponsors. We will soon have an updated list of all the sponsors on our website, so stay tuned and keep checking back so you can see who the amazing companies are in and around our community. If you were here - we hope you had a great time! If you weren't...sorry 'bout cha partner, maybe we'll see ya 'round next year.


 

This year's Day of Caring group was nothing short of AMAZING! We can't thank them enough for all of their hard work and attention to detail. Not only did they jump right in and get dirty and sweaty, but they didn't even complain! They totally spruced-up the place, thanks to them, the farm will be looking spectacular for our Hoe-Down!

Children's TherAplay, a nationally renowned and unique not-for-profit outpatient pediatric rehabilitation facility, is looking for both full and part time Physical and Occupational Therapists to add to our talented clinical team in Carmel, Indiana (Indianapolis).

For more information, visit our Careers page.

TherAPlay was honored to, once again, be part of Trends International's Chariti-BOWL this year. What a good time for so many amazing causes. They truly know how to put the "FUN" in FUNdraising! For more information on Trends International and all the great things they do for our community, visit their website at www.trendsinternational.com or www.trendscares.org. 
 

We just wanted to give a special shout out to all the AWESOME United Way staff members that volunteered at TherAplay on July 26th. They battled through the heat to help us clean our barn, our flower beds, our clinic, and even our horses!
 

This year's golf championship was one for the record books! We had so much fun, the weather was amazing, and we discovered a new TherAplay ROCK-STAR! TherAplay's very own Ally Owens started the day off with a speech listing everything from her favorite TherAplay horse to some major milestones she's reached at TherAplay (tying her shoes, standing on one leg, carrying her tray across the cafeteria without dropping it, etc...) She then wrapped things up with a hole in one putt that rocked everyone's world!

Oh, and we also played some golf and raised some money for TherAplay:)

A very special thank you to Tom Merrell with Industrial Dielectrics who generously donated his winnings back to TherAplay.

Many thanks to Wood Wind Golf Club for making the day run so smoothly!

We are very excited to welcome and introduce Lisa Kobek, TherAplay's new Executive Director. Lisa has worked in both the profit and non-profit world, which gives her a great perspective on what it takes to make an organization thrive. We all look forward to working with Lisa and expect to learn new ways in which to continue improving the quality of TherAplay's services. If you would like to meet Lisa, she can be reached at 317-872-4166 ext.102 or lkobek@childrenstheraplay.org. 

TherAplay would like to thank all of the TherAplay families and friends that supported us at this year's Walking For Dreams fundraiser. We were humbled by the generous donations and elated with the plethora of walkers that showed up to support and represent TherAplay. Special thanks go out to the Indianapolis Indians who graciously donated a family foursome (box seats and all) for each family that raised over $250. Not to mention they gave Rowdie the day off to come play with all the kiddo's at the walk! And for those of you who were intending to walk or donate the day-of but got scared off by the rain - you're in luck - we're still accepting donations!

Stay tuned for next weeks post about our Golf Outing - if we all don't melt!!

While looking up the leaderboard at the Masters today, I stumbled upon a nice article (by ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski) about Ernie Els and his eight-year-old son, Ben, who was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in 2006.  It's a very good article you can link to below.

Ernie Els and son: Interlocking grips

I always liked Els as a golfer, but after reading this article, I'll cheer louder for the Big Easy at Augusta!

For 4 solid years, Marcia Rose, has been extending her time and talent to TherAplay on a consistent, almost religious basis. She has been there for everything from the mundane data entry and envelope stuffing to the hustle and bustle of numerous Hoe-Downs and Holiday Festivals.

When asked, “What keeps you coming back?” she doesn't say a word, she just simply points to the kids working hard in the clinic.  Marcia exemplifies a perfect volunteer; she is self motivated, does what needs to be done, and we have yet to hear her complain. Therefore, we’d like to thank Marcia and honor her as TherAplay’s Volunteer With Cheer!

Check out the great article about Breinne and TherAplay from this past Sunday's Indianapolis Star.

TherAplay manager is enjoying the ride

When Breinne Lasley needs a break, she escapes to the stables of The Children's TherAplay Foundation Inc. in Carmel to visit Rocky, her favorite horse, who acts more like a dog.

"He loves attention, and sometimes his tongue will stick out the side of his mouth," she said.

As the administrative manager at TherAplay, Lasley is responsible for making sure funds keep coming in order to continue to provide physical and occupational therapy. To keep costs down, she and her staff do most of the cleaning themselves -- this includes the bathrooms. Barn workers take care of the stables.

Lasley serves as TherAplay's volunteer coordinator, event planner and decision maker. She is on the planning committee for TherAplay's three biggest fundraisers: a Hoe-Down and Casino Night held each September, a golf outing and the Walking for Dreams Family & Pet Walk.

Visit our Facebook site now.

4MyChild (www.cerebralpalsy.org) recently posted the following article about the benefits of Hippotherapy for children with Cerebral Palsy.

A Walk on the Wild Side May Help Your Child Thrive

The Hippotherapy Alternative

When you find out that your child has cerebral palsy, you are concerned that his opportunities for fun and recreation will be forever limited. You desperately want to spare him the pain of being cooped up in a hospital room for treatment sessions while his friends run and play outdoors.

However, today's therapeutic options for youngsters with CP offer up the kind of thrills and adventure that any child would remember for a lifetime.

Click here to read entire article

Check out this great article about TherAplay kiddo, Cole, and Children's TherAplay Foundation.

Click here for Indy Star article.

If you have not yet seen them, make sure you take some time to visit our video library.  It is one of the best ways to learn about TherAplay, see some of our fantastic kiddos at work, and to witness the amazing dedication of our staff.  Enjoy!

Come join us this Saturday for:

TherAplay's 8th Annual Hoe-Down & Wild West Casino