Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 5. 2015 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 7A
Angels on Horseback saddles up for another year
Submitted by Leslie Elliott
Angels on Horseback rides
again! Therapeutic Horseman
ship for Individuals with Mental
and Physical Disabilities. An
gels on Horseback has been op
erating since 2003. We are a
501c3 program operating under
the Standards of PATH Interna
tional. www.pathintl.org
PATH stands for Professional
Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship. We welcome
most disabilities and all ages. We
usually set a time to meet and
discuss how we can best serve
you! We are hoping to create a
new program we call Horses for
Heroes, a unique type of therapy
for America’s warriors. Please
call and let me share how I have
experienced and this therapy and
how I hope it will work for you.
I look forward to your call!
2015 Lessons will begin on
Saturday March 7 and run
through May 23 ending with our
Horseshow. Summer and fall
sessions will follow. Our lesson
days are Tuesday, Friday and
Saturday. Students and volun
teers are eagerly invited to take
part in Therapeutic Riding Les
sons by either calling myself,
Leslie Elliott (770-355-5726) if
you are a new student and would
like to learn more about Angels
on Horseback and what we offer.
For interested volunteers call
Karen Davis, our Volunteer com
municator (404-372-6018).
We will direct you to our web-
site,
www.angelsonhorseback.org
where you will download both
student or volunteer applications
to join. Call today and find out
how you can become involved.
See next weeks newspaper for
volunteer information. Volunteer
training days will be February
14 and 28, 10-1. See ourwebsite
to download both application and
Volunteer Manual. Volunteers
from the past are asked to partic
ipate in one of these two train
ings, new volunteers are required
to attend both days.
For an individual living with
a disability, therapeutic horse
back riding means much more
than sitting on a horse. There are
numerous benefits for children
and adults with a disability. Here
are the top six benefits that have
the biggest impact on therapeutic
riding students:
1. Increases in fine motor
skills: Fine motor skills are in
creased when the student uses
his/her small muscle movements
(example: working to increase
dexterity in fingers). From se
lecting reins, fastening snaps and
buckles and adjusting how the
reins are held can all increase a
student's fine motor skills.
2. Increases in gross motor
skills: Gross motor skills are the
ability to move large muscle
groups (example: this is essential
for walking, running and stand
ing). Getting on and off the
horse, posting (rising and sitting
to the rhythm of the horse’s gait)
and 2-point position (putting
weight in the stirrups and lifting
the body out of the saddle) all
have a positive influence on an
individual's gross motor skills.
3. Core strength improve
ments: Horses have a three-di
mensional movement that is
unique and unable to be repli
cated in any other way. While the
horse moves forward, it also
sways side-to-side. When a stu
dent is properly seated on the
horse, this movement causes the
student to involuntarily use many
more core muscles than they typ
ically would when walking or
sitting on their own.
4. Balance and coordination:
Sitting up straight and even on
the horse, keeping your feet in
the stirrups, properly holding
reins, steering your horse and
posting may look easy to onlook
ers, but anyone who has ever
been on a horse can tell you oth
erwise! This is a true test of bal
ance and coordination. Students
who participate in therapeutic
horseback riding are able to im
prove on all these skills while en
joying time with their favorite
horse.
5. Social skills: Depending on
a student’s level of core strength
and familiarity of the horse, vol
unteers may be used, along with
an instructor, in order to create
the safest environment for that
individual. While safety is usu
ally the main concern, these extra
helpers can create a more com
plex social environment for the
student to interact with.
Throughout a riding lesson, each
student should have the opportu
nity to be engaged in conversa
tion that aims to further the
progress of social skills and lan
guage needs. The horse also pro
vides social interaction, since
students should always be asked
to respect their horse and praise
its’ good behavior during a les
son.
6. Sensory integration: While
enjoying riding, students with
sensory sensitivities can be
slowly introduced to various tex
tures, sounds, smells and sights.
Many therapeutic riding pro
grams integrate various items, as
well as activities, that promote
and encourage positive sensory
interactions.
Those are the top 6 benefits of
therapeutic horseback riding of
fered by a therapeutic riding fa
cility. While the goals for each
student should be selected on an
individual basis (and the benefits
are endless) these are the most
concrete benefits many students
take home.
Call to find out how we can
help you or someone you know.
Leslie Elliott, 770-355-5726, for
student information. Karen
Davis (404 -372-6018) can help
those wishing Info, about Volun
teering. Please refer to the web
site for explanation and
photography about our program,
www.angelsonhorse-
back.org
Nelson Police Chief presents awards
By Ralph O. Dennis
Contributing writer
At the February city council
meeting, Police Chief Jim Koury
made some important presenta
tions. He presented plaques of
appreciation to representatives of
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Of
fice, Pickens County Sheriff’s
Office, Holly Springs Police De
partment and the Cherokee
County Marshall’s Office. These
plaques were for the assistance
and support that these agencies
have given the Nelson depart
ment in the past year. The sup
port came in in many ways -
mostly equipment and supplies.
Chief Koury also presented four
Commendation awards to mem
bers of the Reserve Unit. The
Meritorious Award was pre
sented to four additional mem
bers of the Reserve Unit for their
outstanding service to the depart
ment and the community.
Chief Koury gave his monthly
report and started by telling the
council that there was really not
too much to report. He told the
people present that he felt that a
law enforcement department was
doing their job when there were
no violations of calls for service
in their jurisdiction. He said that
right now in Nelson it is really
tough to even catch a speeder. He
also thanked the council and the
city for their support as he begins
his second year. He told the
meeting that when he took the
job he had two cars, one did not
nm, and a badge. The department
has been able to add the reserve
force, a new car, the HUMVEE,
the speed detection sign and
much more at very little cost to
the city. The chief attended the
Mid-Winter Conference of
Chiefs of Police gaining some
valuable information.
Mayor Larry Ray gave the
mayor’s report which, likewise,
cited a slow month due to the
cold weather. The sealing of the
cracks has begun and as the
weather warms the activity will
City of Ball Ground recognized at
the annual Main Street luncheon
L-R - Jessica Reynolds - GDEA, Mayor Rick Roberts, Main Street Director Karla Weaver,
City Manager Eric Wilmarth, Billy Peppers - GDCA.
On Monday, January 26, the
city of Ball Ground was recog
nized at the annual Georgia Main
Street Luncheon as one of 17
communities that are graduating
from the Georgia Main Street
Start-up Program in 2015 to re
ceive the national designation of
a Classic Main Street Commu
nity.
In the fall of 2013, the city of
Ball Ground was selected, out of
25 applicants, to participate in
the largest Main Street Start-up
class in the history of the Georgia
Main Street Program. Over the
following 14 months the commu
nity has worked closely with the
Office of Downtown Develop
ment at the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs to prepare
the community, downtown busi
ness owners, volunteers and
elected officials for the journey
ahead.
Through downtown develop
ment trainings, community vi
sioning sessions and capacity
building activities, the newly
designated Main Street program
is now ready to meet and exceed
the guidelines for the 10 National
Standards for Accreditation, as
laid out by the National Main
Street Center.
Billy Peppers, director of the
Office of Downtown Develop
ment, reflected that “Each of the
communities recognized here
today has worked hard to earn
the distinction of calling them
selves a Main Street city. They
join an expansive statewide net
work now comprised of over
100 designated Main Street
Communities. We know that no
matter what challenges lay
ahead each of these cities has
worked hard to build a solid
foundation upon which a suc
cessful Main Street Program can
be built.”
“Ball Ground’s participation
in this Main Street program is
critical to our downtown redevel
opment efforts. Completing this
start up program in just over a
year is not an easy task and is a
huge step to restoring our historic
downtown to an activity center
all residents can support and
enjoy. I want to thank Main
Street Director Karla Weaver for
her hard work in this effort and
for members of our Main Street
board for their support and com
mitment to our city.” - Mayor
Rick Roberts
Main Street Director Karla
Weaver stated, “The last year has
been an adventure in learning
about what makes a downtown
work. With the help of a great
Main Street Board and the City,
Ball Ground Main Street is defi
nitely going to become the
downtown that so many moving
to this area are looking for. From
movies and concerts in the park,
special events sponsored by Ball
Ground Main Street and down
town businesses, to historic
preservation - our downtown will
have it all.”
For more information regard
ing the Ball Ground Main Street
Program please feel free to visit
our website at www.cityofball
ground.com or follow us on
Facebook at https://www.face
book.com/ballgroundmain street
increase until all cracks have
been sealed.
The council listened to the re
port by John Monaghan, advisor
on zoning issues, on the variance
that has been applied for by
Martha Dunn. Under advice of
counsel, the city council tabled
the application until the city or
dinance could be changed to give
them the authority to grant it.
Jeff Rusbridge, city attorney,
gave the first reading of the ordi
nance to give the council back
the powers to consider and grant
the council the authority to act as
Zoning Board of Appeals and the
Planning Commission. There
will be a public hearing and sec
ond reading of this at the next
(March) council meeting.
In other business
The council advised Chief
Koury to proceed with the cita
tions to the owner of the burnt
house on Barrel Way since no
representative of the family was
present at this meeting.
The council voted to purchase
a pallet of sealer for the streets.
They also voted on proceeding
with the Capital Improvement
budget, the 2014 SPLOST report
that needs to be published, com
pliance with all standards on fu
ture repairs and construction to
public properties and the Mayor
developing a more detailed
monthly financial report.
Councilman Jackie Jarrett
moved that the City of Nelson
follow the lead of the governor of
Texas and honor former U.S.
Navy seal Chris Kyle by recog
nizing his service to our country.
The council agreed unanimously.
Upon return from Executive
Session, the council voted to re
instate some of the wages to the
city sanitation workers that had
been taken in years past because
of cutbacks. Councilman Jarrett
abstained from voting due to his
relationship (family) with the
workers.
Getting better starts here.
For decades, Piedmont Heart physicians have been
at the forefront of achievements in cardiac care.
From our prevention services that help keep heart
disease at bay to more complex services like heart
transplants, our highly trained physicians take an
integrated approach to cardiac care, ensuring you
receive the best care possible.
Great doctors, convenient locations - meet your new
heart doctor, Dr. Cannon.
Piedmont
HEART
Don’t let your heart stop you.
J. Dale Cannon Jr., M.D., FACC
Cardiology
220 J.L. White Drive
Suite 100
Jasper, Georgia 30143
706.253.8001
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