Groups That Serve Handicapped, Hungry in Watauga Get Grants From Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation

For Immediate Release

Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213; or E-mail: Renee Whitener

Boone, North Carolina (June 4, 2008) – In Watauga County, organizations that help feed the hungry and provide specialized treatment for individuals with physical or mental challenges are benefiting from the generosity of members of the largest electric cooperative in the mountains of North Carolina.

Non-profit Watauga organizations receiving Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation grants in 2007 were Blazing Saddles Inc., Hospitality House of Boone Area Inc., and Hunger and Health Coalition (HHC) in Boone.

Blazing Saddles makes physically and emotionally beneficial therapeutic equestrian experience available for children and adults with special mental and physical needs. Hospitality House is a crisis-intervention agency that operates the community soup kitchen and assists the homeless. HHC exists “to relieve poverty and hunger in a compassionate manner for families and individuals (in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties) who are experiencing economic hardship and food shortages.”

Grants to help each of these organizations were made last year by Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation, created in 2006 by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation to expand the co-op’s commitment to the communities it serves. The Foundation makes it possible for Blue Ridge Electric members to help worthy causes in the Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell and Watauga counties, where Blue Ridge serves some 72,000 consumers. Grants totaling more than $60,000 were awarded to 17 organizations in the Blue Ridge service area in 2007, and the Foundation expects to make more than $100,000 in grants this year, including the following recently approved grants worth $50,000:

Greater Lansing Area Development, $4,000. To develop a park area in the downtown area that would be part of a walking trail already in place.
Hibriten High School Baseball Field Renovation, $5,000. To support the baseball field renovation currently underway, particularly the construction of a covered hitting cage.
Southern Appalachian Historical Association, $1,500. To purchase two new lighting dimmer packs.
Alleghany Trail Blazers, $500. To support a therapeutic riding program for mentally and physically handicapped people.
Alleghany County Group Homes, $2,650. To purchase a computer for Compensatory Education and Basic Skills classes at WCC.
Caldwell Friends, Inc., $5,000. To expand services to at-risk youth by providing weekly group mentoring to referred youth.
Children’s Playhouse, $500. To provide five scholarships for low-income families.
Cove Creek Farm, $1,200. To build an Outdoor Education Pavilion to serve residents who are working to overcome addictive behavior.
Solid Rock Food Closet, $4,000. To support a weekend food program for needy families and a summer feeding program.
Alleghany Partnership for Children/Child Care Resources, $1,000. To purchase required children’s car seats for low income, high risk families.
Ashe County Free Medical Clinic, $3,650. To purchase 295 prescriptions to be dispensed through the clinic in 2008.
Lenoir Soup Kitchen , $3,500. To purchase a Hot Table (serving table) that will ensure hot food for participants in the free lunch program. The table costs $3,500.
Watauga Chapter, American Red Cross, $2,500. To help purchase an emergency response vehicle.
Appalachian Senior Companion Program, $5,000. To support general annual funding of the program which is designed to provide an opportunity for senior citizens to remain active in the community by assisting other seniors who are at risk of losing their independence. Senior Companions serve other
Ashe County Library, $10,000. To assist the county build and furnish a new public library. This supplements a larger corporate donation made by Blue Ridge Electric.

Foundation grant monies come from Operation Round Up and donations from the cooperative’s subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, which provides propane and propane-powered items to consumers. Through Operation Round Up, Blue Ridge members voluntarily choose to have their monthly electric bills rounded up to the next-highest dollar amount. The difference between the two figures – from a penny to a maximum of 99 cents – is the monthly tax-deductible gift.

HHC and Hospitality House
HHC and Hospitality House each received Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation donations of several thousand dollars to help purchase badly needed commercial refrigerators.

Applying for assistance, HHC explained the need for a commercial unit to safely store donations of perishable foods received daily from local grocery stores and other sources. Hospitality House said it needed the large refrigeration equipment to provide safe storage for foods used in its Bread of Life Program, which last year served about 73,000 meals.

Blazing Saddles Program
Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation manager Patty N. Wheeler said the Blazing Saddles program offers a unique opportunity to help individuals that otherwise might go untreated. “Part of the grant for Blazing Saddles is for a special Western/Australian stock saddle for the organization’s quarter horses,” Wheeler said. “And the rest of the money from the Foundation is to pay for a volunteer to be certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) as a therapeutic riding instructor.”

The quarter-horse saddle should be purchased by the end of June, and a newly certified instructor should be available to begin helping riders later this year.

Dr. Fiona H. Chrystalle, a professor at Lees-McRae College, began working as a board member and volunteer for Blazing Saddles several years ago and now serves as its director. She explained the benefits of therapeutic riding for the handicapped.

“Physically, the horse’s movement has a dynamic effect on the rider’s body,” Chrystalle said. “The horse’s gait stimulates the rider’s pelvis and trunk in a manner that closely resembles the typical human gait. This movement can be used to produce specific physical changes in the rider. The benefits to the rider include normalization of tone, postural improvement, improvements in balance and increased strength.

“Emotionally, the success of overcoming fear and anxiety can help a rider realize self-worth and increase self-esteem,” she continued. “Bonding with the horse can be a critical component in the success of the experience offered. Relationships are developed among riders, volunteers, horses and staff that are integral to a positive emotional experience. Cognitively, the horse provides many riders with the motivation to learn new things. Skills in reading, math, and language can be addressed within the equestrian experience. And socially, therapeutic riding activities allow individuals to interact with peers in an activity that is both fun and challenging,” Chrystalle concluded.

As a member-owned, non-profit cooperative, Blue Ridge Electric has a mission of providing members’ electric and energy services reliably, efficiently and with outstanding customer care. With the spirit that is typical of people in Northwest North Carolina, co-op members through their Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation are helping boost the quality of life for countless residents in their areas. For more information, visit www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.