By: Sarah Habicht

When I first heard that I was required to fulfill 160 hours of community service in order to graduate, all I could think about was how much of a pain in the neck it was going to be. After-school activities would be replaced by hanging out with old people or running around chasing a bunch of rambunctious toddlers. Little did I know that my community service experience would be the most inspirational and influential experience in my life.

I decided to turn my community service requirement into something that I would really enjoy doing every day. Since I had been riding horses for many years, my mom suggested that I volunteer at the nearby therapeutic riding center, Tough Luck TRC. She explained to me that this was a type of therapy for the physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped that uses horses as its main therapy tool. I had never really heard about this before, but as soon as the words “riding” and “horses” were mentioned, I was all for it.

Jess was the first “patient” I helped at Tough Luck. She had cerebral palsy and was unable to walk on her own. Even with this incurable disease, she was the happiest and sweetest girl. She could put a smile on anyone’s face as she patted her pony, Sneakers and told him, “Go, Go, Go!” Walking around on Sneakers once a week while doing a variety of stretching exercises increased Jess’ balance and strength enough to be able to walk on her own. She taught me to never give up and that no matter what situation life gives you, you have to look on the bright side of things and be optimistic.

After volunteering my 160 hours, I was offered a paying position, which I held for three years until I left home for college. I learned so many life lessons working there. Not only was I helping people with Multiple Sclerosis and Cerebral Palsy to walk on their own, but also I was bettering the quality of life for trauma victims and people with severe mental handicaps. However, I think I got more out of helping them than they did.

The people I met and bonded with at Tough Luck TRC will always be my inspiration when things get rough. When I am having a difficult time and feel like giving up on something, I think about Jess, a little girl who persevered and pushed through her Cerebral Palsy in order to walk without canes. I think about the black and white scraggly little pony that never missed a stride helping her achieve this goal, and I can’t help but smile. My memories of the people and ponies that I worked with will never cease to give me inspiration.