Arbico East Makes a Difference with Small Miracles

In recognition of Make a Difference Day—a national day of service supported in part by the Arby’s Foundation—a group of volunteers from Arbico East visited Small Miracles Therapeutic Equestrian Center on Saturday, October 28, 2017.
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Small Miracles is a non-profit therapeutic facility in Kingsport, Tenn., whose mission, as stated on the center’s website, is “to enhance the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth of persons with special needs and disabilities by means of equine-assisted activities and therapies.” The center serves over 300 students per year in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

Small Miracles currently houses 12 horses, known collectively as the “Miracle Herd.” The members of the Miracle Herd serve as motivators and companions to the students that the center serves, and each horse is a vital member of the team.
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Guided by Executive Director Sherri Russell and Equine, Barn, and Facility Manager J.R. Russell, Arbico volunteers tended to the Miracle Herd’s needs, feeding the horses, brushing them, and leading them from their stables to a hilly lot spacious enough for them to gallop and graze. The volunteers also helped with facility maintenance by sweeping the floors, cleaning stables, washing food receptacles, and fetching fresh hay.

“We had a great time at Small Miracles!” said Chelsea Smith, Staff Accountant at Arbico East and one of Arbico’s volunteers on Saturday. “It was an awesome opportunity to give back to a program with a meaningful cause.”

​“Small Miracles does an important service for our community,” said Isaac Ratliff, Marketing Assistant at Arbico East and another of Arbico’s volunteers. “It was a pleasure to serve an organization with such a compassionate mission.”
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Learn more about Make a Difference Day here: http://www.makeadifferenceday.com/
Learn more about Small Miracles here: http://www.small-miracles.org/

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