DO-GOODER RECIPROCAL RESCUE

The Coachella Valley Horse Rescue helps horses—and those horses help people in need

By Cat makino

Even when someone is at rock bottom, there may still be hope.

Daryn LaVoie came back from Iraq suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I was haunted by what I saw and fell into a depression and started drinking,” he said. “Then when my father died, it got much worse.”

He realized he missed the camaraderie he had in the military. “Veterans need to find other people like them (who know) what they’ve been through,” he said. “I really missed the kinship I had with my fellow soldiers.”

One night after drinking too much, he went to bed with a loaded .38 handgun— which went off. The bullet passed through his temple, hitting his optic nerves; surgeons had to remove both eyes. Four months in an induced coma were followed by two years of rehabilitation at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The camaraderie was still missing—but LaVoie found it at the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues horses which have been abused or neglected, or were destined for slaughter.

“It transformed my life,” LaVoie says. “I meet other vets every Wednesday for two hours, play guitar, talk and then help with the horses. I groom (the horses) and gently rub them so they can rest and relax. We formed a special bond, and I felt a calmness while working with the horses. There’s a special one; he knows my voice.”

Coachella Valley Horse Rescue was founded in 2008 by Annette Garcia. “When the economy took a big dive, some people couldn’t afford their horses,” she said. “They tied them to trees, or didn’t feed them, so we decided to start a nonprofit to rescue horses.”

Of course, the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue helps people, too. It offers rehabilitation programs for veterans and children, and brings miniature horses into schools and senior-living facilities. The nonprofit also works with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H, offers lessons to people who want to learn how to ride, and puts on a camp for kids.

For veterans, the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue runs the free “Horsinalities” Veterans Bootcamp; the organization is accepting applications for the program in May.

“When we rescue horses, we find out what their best purpose is, such as working with veterans, children, horseback-riding lessons, or our Horse Tails (reading and painting) program,” Garcia said.

Because of health issues, some horses just go on long walks, or go to the spa where they get bathed and groomed.

“It’s the same with veterans when they come back into society,” Garcia said. “Many of them are lost and don’t have a purpose. They find their purpose when working with horses. Our veterans come in shy and may have difficulty even making eye contact with us. But after they start working with our horses, the transformations are miraculous. They start to smile and laugh and have conversations with us and their horse. The bonds that are created between the vets and the horses is a wonderful thing to see.

For LaVoie, the chance to heal through his interactions with horses has been a lifeline.

“It was my dream to get back on a horse since I used to work with them,” he said.

According to a Columbia University Irving Medical Center study, horse therapy—such as that offered by the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue—has been found to significantly reduce PTSD and depressive symptoms. The U.S. Census Bureau says there are about 19 million veterans, and according to Retreat Behavioral Health, between 11 and 20 percent of veterans will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder—meaning there are a lot of veterans like LaVoie who need help.

“We are here to heal the horses,” Garcia said. “But at the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue, we often say, ‘Who rescued whom?’”

For more information, visit www.cvhorserescue.org.

The Steinway Society of Riverside County’s Awards Festival winners will perform for a live audience at the Rancho Mirage Library at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 2. The event is free and open to the public.

“We look forward to our Awards Festival piano competition to hear nearly a dozen young pianists in both junior and senior levels play in their master classes and recitals,” said Jim McCormick, director of the Awards Festival program. “Some youngsters are debuting while most are returning to the festival year after year. It’s a great pleasure to watch them grow in confidence and skill. Having a larger live audience for the winners’ concert is an important learning component, and the Rancho Mirage Library is a wonderful venue to see and hear these young musicians.”

The top junior and senior level winners were selected during the competition held at Xavier College Preparatory High School in March, where the young pianists performed their musical pieces and worked with master teachers Antoinette Perry, Craig Richey, Catherine Kautsky and Anthony Padilla. The purpose is to award talented students and give them an opportunity to perform.

Winners in the Junior competition (ages 7-14) are Queenie Chen, 11, of Menifee, playing Chopin’s Waltz in C Sharp Minor, Op. 64. No. 2; Yuan Yin, 11, of Temecula, performing Muczynski’s Desperate Measures, Theme and Vars. 7 and 12; Melody Liu, 10, of Rancho Cucamonga, playing Liszt’s La Leggierezza; and Edina Zhang, 9, of Highland, performing Poulenc’s Toccata.

Senior level winners (ages 14-18) are Demi Jiaqi, 15, from Rancho Cucamonga, playing French Overture in B Minor by Bach; Emma Erickson, 17, of Murrieta, performing Chopin’s Scherzo in B Flat Minor, Op. 31; Jadon Wu, 16, of Mission Viejo, playing Danse Macabre by SaintSaens/Liszt; and Isabelle Ragsac, 17, of Corona, performing Prokofiev’s Toccata Op. 11.

“The challenging work that these students have put into their music is a credit to them and their parents,” said Steinway Society founder and CEO Ruth Moir. “Mastering a musical instrument is a gift they will have for a lifetime.”

McCormick has directed SSRC’s Awards Festival since its inception in 2005. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, the Steinway Society of Riverside County has been providing free music education to all three Coachella Valley school districts since 2002, serving some 30,000 children.

For more information and to donate, visit steinwayriverside.org, or call 760-341-4130.

The Young Artists Exhibition, funded by the La Quinta Arts Foundation, engages young artists in a transformational art experience. Students participate in a juried exhibition, which is an important learning opportunity, and see their artworks matted, framed, lit and displayed in a museum-quality setting.

Experiencing their art installed in a museum can be a life-changing experience for a young artist—and that is what will be happening at the Artists Center at the Galen through Sunday, May 21.

The Artists Council, in collaboration with local art educators, selected the theme TRUTH. Students created works of art in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, drawing and photography, exploring their ideas about the theme. Katherine Hough, curator, and Emily Culhan, art educator, juried the submitted works looking at creativity, originality and craftsmanship.

“Students created thoughtful and provocative works that explored their idea and understanding of TRUTH,” Culhan said. “The courage of young artists is impressive and inspiring.”

A total of 83 selected works from 14 high schools will be professionally displayed at the Artists Center. Admission is free, and the Artists Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

All exhibiting students will receive a certificate of recognition. Select students will be recognized for additional awards, and all participating teachers will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the Artists Council.

The Artists Council is proud to be a supporter of these early artistic endeavors. The Artists Center at the Galen is located at 72567 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. For more information, call 760-565-6130, or visit artistscouncil.com.

—Submitted on behalf of the nonprofits by Pamela Bieri and Suzanne Fromkin.