Megan Delmar, the executive director of Staten Island Recreational Association, Inc., in Staten Island, NY, sent a letter to PATH Intl. thanking members for the assistance provided through the PATH Intl. Disaster Relief Fund. Read the full letter here.

"I don't think I was mentally ready to handle what was ahead for us and I was a little broken," Megan writes. Then two boys, both on the autism spectrum and one a former participant, came to help in any way they could. "I thought of all the kids we have helped over the years. How we had given them a place where they were accepted and belonged. A place where they could go and their disability didn't matter. It was in that moment that I asked our instructor to contact PATH Intl. for help."

Thank you to all the members who have contributed to this fund.

Click here for information on the PATH Intl. Disaster Relief Fund. Click here to donate to the fund or contact Megan Ferry, (800) 369-7433, ext. 107.

Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International

Recipients of the 2013 Equine Industry Vision Award

sponsored by Zoetis, presented by American Horse Publications

September 3, 2013

Ballots Available to Vote for PATH Intl. MOC Region Reps

The original version of this newsletter had a broken link to the ballots page. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Your vote is valuable to the future of your association. Please vote for the PATH Intl. Membership Oversight Committee Representatives for Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.

There are two ways to vote:

Click here to go to the ballots page. The ballots consist of nominees as recommended by the PATH Intl. membership in each respective region. Click on the ballot that corresponds to your region. Please cast only ONE vote for your region.
Call the PATH Intl. office at (800) 369-7433, and we will mail or fax you a ballot.

The ballots will be available until September 30, 2013, and contain short biographies of the candidates.

Thank you for continuing to support your association.

PATH Intl. Community Connections Day Sessions

The PATH Intl. pre-conference event, Community Connections Day, is Wednesday, November 6th.

Attendees are welcome to attend up to four of the following sessions: choose a full day of PATH International Equine Services for Heroes sessions or mix and match presentations with the other great topics listed below. The cost is $55 for PATH Intl. members and $65 for non-members for the full day. Click here for session descriptions and bios.

9:30 to 11 a.m.

A1 (a PATH International Equine Services for Heroes session) - Boots in the Arena: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Combat Trauma presented by Eva Usadi (Begins at 9 a.m.)

A2 - Branding Your Way to a Successful, Sustainable Center presented by Arlene Alen, the Marketing Community

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

B1 (a PATH International Equine Services for Heroes session) - Hooves for Heroes (Equest) presented by Susannah Denney & Jeff Hensley
B2 - Instructor Enrichment presented by the Instructor Community

B3 - Equine-Facilitated Learning Community Interactive Discussion

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

LUNCH ON YOUR OWN

1:30 to 3 p.m.

C1 (a PATH International Equine Services for Heroes session) - Rainier Therapeutic Riding Veteran's Program presented by Debbie Fisher & Elisia Mutter

C2 - Expanding Your Therapeutic Horsemanship Program presented by the Instructor Community

C3 (a PATH International Equine Services for Heroes session) - SADLES Veteran's Program presented by Cher Meyer

3 to 4:30 p.m.

D1 (a PATH International Equine Services for Heroes session) - Veterans Panel moderated by Jeff Hensley

D2 - Billing for EAAT 101 presented by Dr. Joahn Hall

You Need a Vacation!

You work hard throughout the year. You need a vacation! PATH Intl. has just the thing you need to turn your 2013 PATH Intl. Conference and Annual Meeting into a great vacation. Click here for ways to extend your time in Orlando by buying discount tickets for Orlando attractions, such as Disney theme parks, by making reservations through an exclusive PATH Intl. partner, or by participating in the PATH Intl. Destination Vacation Online Auction.

Have fun!

Wanted: Conference Roommates
If you are looking to share a room, suite or villa for the conference, check on the PATH Intl. website for a list of others who are looking or who have a room booked. PATH Intl. does not take responsibility for making the connection, but we are happy to list those looking for roommates. If you would like to place your name on the list, email Cher Smith or call her at (800) 369-7433, ext. 123.

CT Makes History With Animal-Assisted Therapy Bill

On October 1, 2013, Connecticut will make history by enacting the first Animal-Assisted Therapy bill. Some of the bill highlights include:

Training individuals on (1) the healing value of the human-animal bond for children, (2) the value of therapy animals in dealing with traumatic situations and (3) the benefit of an animal-assisted therapy program
Collaboration with mental health care providers to incorporate animal-assisted therapy into the therapy for children and youth
Development of a results-based accountability assessment of the results of animal-assisted programs

Click here to read the story.

Individual and Instructor Membership Renewal

Starting September 1, 2013, membership renewal notices will be sent electronically. Individual and instructor members will be able to renew online or by downloading a membership renewal form and the instructor compliance form from the PATH Intl. website on the My PATH Intl. Membership page. To ensure that membership renewal notices are received, members will need to be proactive in keeping their email address current in their member records. If you have questions regarding updating your email address, please contact Jorian Stuckey, (800) 369-7433, ext. 119.

Educational Materials Grant for Therapeutic Horsemanship Centers

The Parelli Education Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to the teaching of natural horsemanship, is giving away $1,000,000 in educational materials to therapeutic horsemanship centers, horse welfare organizations, youth programs and individual youth under age 19. Click here for information and to apply for the grant, which is made possible by Parelli Natural Horsemanship. The giveaway ends November 15, 2013.

PATH Intl. Events Calendar

Unless otherwise noted, contact Denise Fager at (800) 369-7433, ext. 114, with questions. All dates are subject to change. To register for an event, please contact the host site directly. You can locate its contact information under Find a Center on the PATH Intl. homepage or on the PATH Intl. events calendar.

PATH Intl. Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning Workshop and Practical Skills Testing
September 11-15, 2013
Special People United to Ride (SPUR) in Lincroft, NJ

September 26-29
Appalachian Therapeutic Riding Center in Burnsville, NC

September 27-30, 2013
Horse Power at Touchstone Farm in Temple, NH

October 17-20, 2013
Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center in Bend, OR

October 23-26, 2013
Hearts and Horses, Inc., in Loveland, CO

April 3-6, 2014
Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Riding Center

PATH Intl. Driving Workshop and Certification combination event
Workshop is held the first 2-1/2 days, certification held the last 2-1/2 days. Specific schedule sent by host site.
October 15-19, 2013
Horse Power at Touchstone Farm in Temple, NH

PATH Intl. Advanced Certification Event
September 7-8, 2013
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville, WA

October 18-20, 2013
Horses Help in Phoenix, AZ

December 13-15, 2013
Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center in Chagrin Falls, OH

April 11-13, 2014
Ivey Ranch Park Association in Oceanside, CA

May 28-30, 2014
High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., in Old Lyme, CT

PATH Intl. Mentor Training

December 7-8, 2013
Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, Inc., in Brewster, NY

Please visit the PATH Intl. events calendar for a list of 2013 and 2014 Registered On-Site Workshops and Certifications.

Please direct correspondence about this newsletter to PATH Intl. eNews coordinator. PATH Intl. eNews is a benefit of Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International membership. No portion of this publication may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, scanned or electronic process without written permission from PATH Intl. PATH Intl. reserves the right to reject, accept and edit submitted material. PATH Intl. eNews is intended as an information exchange and an opportunity for communication for members in the field of equine assisted activities. The opinions, practices or products presented in PATH Intl. eNews do not necessarily reflect PATH Intl. policy, imply PATH Intl. endorsement or comply with PATH Intl. standards.

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