10/10/2026
We had a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner this week… and apparently we had TOO much fun because we completely forgot to take pictures! 😂❤️
Our volunteers give so much of their time, energy, and hearts to Rising Stars. We truly could never repay them for all they do for our participants, our horses, and our program.
One of our favorite parts of the evening was letting our participants help with the dinner. They’re always asking, “What can I do?” So this was their chance to serve the people who spend so much time serving them. 🥰 Just a small token of gratitude for some pretty incredible people.
And just to put their impact into perspective…
🐴 Over 4,000 volunteer hours so far this year!
💙 Those are 4,000+ hours of work that Rising Stars would otherwise have to pay employees or additional help to complete. At an estimated $15/hour, that represents about $60,000 in wages we haven’t had to spend.
That doesn’t even begin to measure what their time is truly worth to us.
They are the extra hands, the encouraging voices, the smiles, the helpers in the arena, the people behind the scenes, and so much more.
To every Rising Stars volunteer: THANK YOU. We couldn’t do what we do without you! ❤️🐴