Bringing Hope to Many at Granite State Adaptive

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

Photos courtesy Granite State Adaptive Acceptance, help, and hope could easily be the mission statement of Granite State Adaptive (GSA) with headquarters in Mirror Lake, New Hampshire.

GSA is the brainchild of founder, Jennifer Fraser, who also is the executive director. With her extensive background in physical therapy and a love for the outdoor world, GSA is a natural fit.

“I went to college for physical therapy and athletic training,” she explains. “I was interested in working with people with traumatic brain injuries and discovered sports and recreation are wonderful avenues to their recovery. My clients wanted to do what they did before their injury.”

Fraser realized clients and their families wanted their lives back, and this was particularly true for people with acquired brain injuries. She saw that her clients enjoyed adaptive sports on their road to recovery.

“Sports and recreation doesn’t feel like therapy, but it can be therapeutic,” Fraser explains.

What is Granite State Adaptive? The mission statement says it best: Empowering individuals, especially those with disabilities, at-risk youth and veterans, to develop independence, confidence, life skills and fitness through adaptive sports, therapy, training and recreation - sustained by community engagement.

Serving students and adults with a variety of issues, GSA works with clients who have ADHD, are amputees, have autism, Cerebral Palsy, Cerebral Vascular Accidents, Developmental

Delays, Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, PTSD, Rhett Syndrome, spinal cord injuries, Spina Bifida, traumatic brain injury and the blind or visually impaired.

While that list is long and diverse, the focus of treatments is the same: working with clients in an adaptive environment. This means with horses, or utilizing skiing and cycling, all done with the expertise and support of GSA’s highly trained staff and volunteers.

“I worked at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro for 17 years,” says Fraser. “I founded local adaptive sports programming, including snow sports, equestri- an, rock climbing, water sports, golf and tennis.

“Eventually, I started an independent non-profit: Granite State Adaptive. It took six months for GSA to transition to a 501C3 in 2009.”

Fraser continues, “It was definitely a jump, but we had community support and are now in our 14th year. I think when it comes to things like this, it is a passion of non-profit leaders. This is something I am passionate about. It doesn’t feel like work.”

GSA offers an adaptive cycling program on the Cotton Valley Rail Trail in the Wolfeboro area. They have about 30 specialized bikes and trikes for children, adults with special needs, senior citizens, staff and volunteers. In the equestrian program, GSA offers different kinds of therapy for children and adults. There also are skiing programs in the winter season.

Fraser says, “We are a year-round program, and we offer a recurring experience to individuals who are at-risk or developmentally disabled. We eliminate barriers to their participation in these areas. We rely on volunteers and the support of the communities in the area.”

Perhaps GSA is best known for its use of horses to help clients. “Horses are unique creatures,” Fraser comments. “They are natural teachers and honest in their body language. The relationships our clients can form with animals are less complicated than with humans.

“People trust being with animals and are naturally drawn to animals. From a physical therapy point of view, the movement of a horse can be incorporated into treatment. The majority of our clients are drawn to horses.”

Headquarters for GSA and the location the horses are cared for and boarded are in Mirror Lake, on Fraser’s property. There are barn facilities and an equestrian ring where clients work with Fraser and other qualified staff and volunteers.

“There can be initial anxiety of being around horses, but we structure the programs so that the outcomes are success oriented. For example, when we work with very young children, such as 3-year-olds, we bring out our mini horses. For older kids and adults, we

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Kathy Larson have full-sized horses,” says Fraser.

Participants rotate through stations of equine experiential learning, grooming, mounted riding, horsemanship, and life skills enhancement. When necessary, side walkers offer support.

The outcome is improved self-esteem, increased attention span and motivation, and increased self-confidence. These opportunities improve the lives of clients and their families and the community as well.

Currently, Fraser is working on grants and doing community outreach for funding to bring to life a wonderful GSA center in Wolfeboro. “We have big plans to build an indoor riding arena,” Fraser says. “There also will be a multi-purpose path accessible to enjoy the outdoors and to create a safe space for people.”

According to information by GSA, “Granite State Adaptive was awarded an L5 Capacity Building Grant from the NH CDFA in 2020. A dedicated GSA team worked with the Empower Success Corps (ESC) to perform a SWOT analysis, to review our impact in the Lakes Region and Carroll County, and to develop a strategic business plan. The conclusion is that GSA has a remarkable reputation for providing services but could have a greater impact on its target population by gaining site control of a year-round, temperature-regulated facility. This facility could support the consistency of yearround programming while attracting professionals to our organization resulting in sustainability and growth.

Following this capacity building and strategic planning project in 2021/22,

GSA identified the need to build a barn with an indoor arena, a classroom and sensory trail. GSA purchased 25 acres in Wolfeboro, NH in November 2022.”

The new facility will offer an expanded range of services for clients of all ages and also support their families.

Community members who want to help will continue to volunteer and students from area schools will also help.

Fraser says they hope to break ground this year and are currently doing a Capital campaign and hosting an annual Cowboy Ball at the Inn on Main in Wolfeboro on June 22. The ball is extremely popular, with the well-known Eric Grant Band performing, and also a silent auction, dinner and dancing. The event is sold out and so popular that GSA is adding a second event this summer to generate more awareness of its programs. (Watch for updates at www.gsadaptivesports.org.)

As well as the equestrian program, GSA has, in season, cycling and skiing programs.

The cycling program offers clients of all ages with a range of disabilities a chance to experience and enjoy the outdoors, to get exercise and to do a positive activity with family and friends.

Because two-wheeled bikes may not meet the needs of some individuals, GSA has trikes, tandems, hand cycles and pull-behind trailers.

A special friend of GSA visits now and then and offers support and inspiration to others. Marc Fucarile, a Boston Marathon bombing survivor, and an above-the-knee amputee, says, “My family and I have been fortunate to utilize Granite State Adaptive and all they have to offer. It really has made a huge difference in our lives, allowing me and my son to do a lot of different things together. I am grateful for GSA and grateful for all the staff, the volunteers, and people that support GSA.”

“Marc comes up and is able to ski using a mono ski and enjoy the sport with his family,” says Fraser. “He also bikes and rides horses with us.”

In the winter, the ski season runs from mid-December through the end of March. Private lessons and group experiences are available during the week and on the weekend via GSA. Programs include Two Track, Blind/ VI Mono Ski, Bi Ski, Outriggers-3 and 4 track, Slider Glider, Learn to Race: Special Olympics and Paralympics for eligible participants.

The adaptive ski programs take place at King Pine Ski Area in Madison, New Hampshire and Abenaki Ski Area in Wolfeboro.

Success stories of clients making use of GSA programs, including equestrian, cycling and adaptive skiing, are many. Fraser speaks of just a few, men- tioning one that readily comes to mind in the equestrian program. “We worked with a school-aged child who was just starting to put together language. Now the child’s language is flourishing, and she is highly motivated to be on a horse. She talks about horses and sings.” Normal and human things such as speaking and singing might be taken for granted by most parents, but for those facing disability issues, these small steps are huge milestones.

Fraser is well aware that the work done by GSA’s staff and volunteers create such positive outcomes, offering a better quality of life for many people. It brings acceptance, help and hope to clients and their families, a mission that benefits everyone.

To donate to GSA, or to become a volunteer, there are many ways to get involved. Email granitestateadaptive@ gmail.com or visit www.gsadaptivesports.org.