Last month we participated in our favorite yearly event, the Project R.I.D.E Steak Dinner in Elk Grove, and can we just say it was utterly delicious and rewarding?! Well, it was. We’ve been attending this charity dinner for the past several years and it always delights and moves us.
The event has evolved and changed through the years, starting out 32 years ago as an all-day equestrian ride in Sloughhouse and a saddles-a-blazin’ barn dance. (If you’ve never been to barn dance, find one and go!)
While the ride portion of the event had its final hoorah last year, the dinner and dancing portion of the evening continues.
All funds raised go directly to supporting Project R.I.D.E.’s 500+ special needs students who enjoy the therapeutic effects of horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities.
This year’s highlights seem almost too many to name but included many auctions and even more fun! Huisman Auctions put on a homemade dessert auction, a silent auction and a scholarship auction where you can “buy a ride” for our special kids.
There was also music, DJ dancing and enormous, juicy cuts of rib eye with potatoes and all of the fixin’s!
If you’ve been looking for a way to give back to your community or get involved with a charity, we exhort you to try Project R.I.D.E. For those who are not familiar, the program gives mentally and physically challenged children the experience of bonding with and riding a horse for therapy purposes.
Just watching a child of special needs getting to interact with these serene beasts will convince you of the power of this program — and will steal your heart. To learn more or donate, go here. http://www.projectride.org/.
