The Heart Behind CORRAL: Celebrating Our Volunteers
April is National Volunteer Month, and at CORRAL, we’re celebrating the people who show up, weekend after weekend, to make our mission possible. Our programs work because of a community that believes in them and gives its time to bring them to life every single day. Thank you to our dedicated volunteers!
Volunteers at a Glance
CORRAL’s volunteer community pours into our students, horses, farms, and each other. Their dedicated service creates a space of safety and stability in an uncertain world, and the work we share opens doors to bright futures.
Did you know last year we logged over 5,030 volunteer hours across 126 volunteers?
Last year, we also welcomed over 25 corporate and community partners and 234 community volunteers to our farms.
“Volunteers make the world go ’round. Nonprofit organizations could never pay for the work volunteers do, and CORRAL is no exception. Horses need to be fed twice, sometimes three times, a day, and they need grooming, medicating, and other care. The girls and horses need safe facilities. And the girls need worthwhile programming and one-on-one time. The CORRAL staff members serve wonderfully in their roles, but volunteers are essential for getting all the pieces together.”
“In Riding Academy, when you see transformation happening in the girls over the weeks and months, you can literally see the difference that this program is making in their lives. I want to be a blessing for the girls and the horses, but truly, I am the one being blessed!”
Our Raleigh Equine Volunteers have stepped up to support the herd this month. Feeding shifts are being filled, horses are being groomed regularly, and their support has increased Rachel’s, our Equine Manager, capacity to do more intense horse training to increase our horses’ skill levels and prepare them to work with our kids.
Also, the newly relaunched Join the Herd volunteers are doing a great job at supporting this round. Lana, our Manager of Social Emotional Learning at Neuse River, did a training with them and they were ready to jump right in with supporting our students.
We want to express our gratitude to anyone who has ever lent a helping hand at CORRAL. CORRAL would not be CORRAL without you.
Upcoming Group Volunteer Opportunities
Our Saturday on the Farm events are the perfect opportunity to visit our farms for the first time and experience CORRAL first-hand. At Saturday on the Farm, you will support our farms with hands-on service projects. No experience is necessary; just bring comfortable clothes, close-toed shoes, and water.
Here’s what’s coming up:
- Kildaire Farm, April 18th 9 AM – 12 PM
- Kildaire Farm, May 2nd 9:30 AM – 12 PM
- Neuse River Farm, May 9th 9:30 AM – 12 PM
Register for a specific date on Eventbrite.
Ongoing Ways to be Involved with Volunteering
Saturday on the Farm is just one way to get involved at CORRAL. If you want to volunteer on a consistent basis, please visit corralriding.org/volunteer to fill out our Volunteer Interest Form and take Volunteer 101, a 30 minute, self-paced training that shares CORRAL’s mission, programs, and the volunteer roles and policies that make it all happen
Our current volunteer opportunities include transportation, education, facilities, marketing, hospitality, equine, prayer, grants, and lunch and snack providers.
This National Volunteer Month, we invite you to visit corralriding.org/volunteer to join us. Our staff cannot do it alone – we value your partnership and continuous support.
