Rotorua Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) was delighted to receive a cheque for $500,000 from the Rotorua Trust as part of the $7.5 million conditionally granted to 13 organisations whose capital projects bring a significant benefit to the wider community.
The RDA offers riding therapy programmes designed to complement conventional therapies and education for people of all ages with a wide range of special needs and the $500,000 will go toward the RDA's new indoor arena currently under construction on Parawai Rd.
Rotorua RDA president Terry Fitzpatrick says it's been a struggle to try to get suitable facilities, and raise money to keep the service operating in Rotorua.
"My wife Sandra and I have been involved with RDA since 1980. I'd like to acknowledge Jo-Anne [La Grouw] and the work she's done on the small committee we've got. The benefits of this service to young children is enormous, you really have to see it to believe it. It really settles them.
"This facility will be available to other organisations as well, not just RDA, but it will help the clients that we've got to be able to ride every day of the week instead of being rained off which has been happening so much."
Rotorua Trust chairman Grahame Hall says he was proud to hand over the cheque in support of the work the RDA do in the Rotorua community.
"The RDA have done a fantastic job to get to this stage. It's been a long journey and they are on the home straight now. You can see it's a huge job to raise this kind of money and to keep going. For a voluntary group to start on a path and a few years later end up where they are is a huge credit to them, not only for the volunteers of RDA but to Jo-Anne La Grouw who has been a fantastic fundraiser who I'm sure is responsible for raising over a million dollars.
"The part that the trust is playing is significant but it's small in comparison to what the RDA is doing. I take my hat off to them," he says.
"They help so many people. This is going to be a wonderful asset, not only to RDA but also to the whole community."
The RDA have also received $500,000 funding from the New Zealand Community Trust, and $30,000 from Bay Trust and have fundraised another $100,000.
Terry says they are hoping to have the indoor arena finished and open in the fourth school term.
FACT BOX
Horse riding is of benefit to children and adults with a wide range of special needs, including but not limited to:
¦Autistic Spectrum Disorders
¦Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, C.V.A. (stroke)
¦Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome
¦Intellectual Disability, Learning Disability
¦Hearing and Visual Impairments
¦Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy
¦Spina Bifida, Spinal Cord Injury (Para/Quadriplegia).