REINS therapeutic horsemanship program honored on California Nonprofits Day

FALLBROOK – REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program was selected as a 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Marie Waldron of Escondido.

Executive Director Debbie Shinner and Program Director Shauna Jopes traveled to Sacramento June 5, to join 100 other nonprofit leaders being honored by their state senators and assembly members at a celebration luncheon marking California Nonprofits Day. REINS was selected as the honoree for the 75th Assembly District.

"It was such an honor to be in Sacramento at our State Capital representing REINS. Assemblymember Marie Waldron made us feel so special and welcome as she recognized

REINS for our many years of service and accomplishments" Shinner said.

"Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight," Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits or CalNonprofits, said. "California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities."

California Nonprofits Day, now in its fourth year, was formally recognized by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 62, written by the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, Assemblywoman Monique Limón of Santa Barbara, who spoke at the celebration luncheon. Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles was the keynote speaker at the luncheon. The day was organized by Limón and CalNonprofits.

According to "Causes Count," a 2016 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the fourth largest industry in the state, employing nearly 1 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate over $200 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 450,000 full-time jobs every year.

REINS, which stands for Riding Emphasizing Individual Needs and Strengths, is a nonprofit therapeutic riding program in Fallbrook. Their mission is to provide physical and emotional therapy to a wide range of disabled children and adults through the use of carefully supervised horseback riding. The benefits of this therapy are both mental and physical and include normalization of muscle tone, increased balance and coordination, speech and language development and improvements in body awareness and self-esteem. The current enrollment is nearly 200 weekly students who come from all over Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. REINS has 100 weekly volunteers who assist in all aspects of the program. To learn more about REINS, visit http://www.reinsprogram.org.

Submitted by REINS.