Hooves to Freedom Executive Director Hillary Cooler (left) and Marketing Director Ambie Watson. Photo by ETHAN REDDISH
purpose.
Hooves to Freedom is no ordinary farm. The non-profit’s horses, ponies and other livestock are not for traditional work.
Instead, they serve as therapy animals for those with physical, mental or emotional disabilities. As a non-profit, Hooves to Freedom does not provide a salary to its executives, nor does it charge its clients. So, in order to help support its operations, the organization is partnering with Ellianos Coffee of Waycross to collect soda cans for cash.
According to Ambie Watson, marketing director for Hooves to Freedom, the fundraising idea came from an effort Ellianos has staged to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. The program centers around students collecting soda can tabs in exchange for cash.
Watson asked Ellianos owner Kristy Foreman about what happened to the cans left over.
“Well, she said they just throw them away because the cans get really gross, and you have to worry about how to store them,” Watson recalled. “So as Kristy and I were talking, we said ‘Hey, how about we continue to collect the tabs for Ellianos to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, and now people can start saving their cans for us to raise money for Hooves to Freedom?’” For anyone interested in donating cans, Watson requested the cans be rinsed out before being donated, to reduce the chance of drawing pests. Cans can be dropped off at Hooves for Freedom, 6671 Oak Ridge Trail, as well as Sapp’s Florist, 1600 Tebeau Street.
Once enough have been collected, they will be delivered to Barber’s Recycling in Alma.
In addition to the can drive, Hooves to Freedom also will be staging a benefit father-daughter dance Saturday August, 15 in Blackshear.
Tickets are $15 each, and can be purchased at Sapp’s Florist in Waycross, Southern Sippin’ in Blackshear, or on Hooves to Freedom’s Facebook page. Funds raised from the dance will go toward supporting the efforts at Hooves to Freedom.
