Southern Tier Alternative Therapies Inc. (STAT)
Business Information
equine therapy, EAAT, equine-assisted, alternative therapy, Cat Markosky, STAT, Southern Tier, riding for the handicapped, 7 Habits, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, healing horses, therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, iPad, special needs, children with disabilities, physically challenged, mentally handicapped, non-verbalSTAT provides specialized programs to families raising children with special needs through partnership with equine therapy centers, licensed professionals, licensed counselors, and via collaboration with other related agencies. Our founding program is the STAT scholarship program called The Riding Connection. Families apply online and are provided "Tickets to Ride" that can be used at any one of STAT's 9 Partner Equine Centers. Programs listed can be pulled into those Centers throughout the year, as requested by each Center and as staff and funding permit. Research Projects Certification Workshops
Currently STAT operates under three specific programs: 1. The Riding Connection: a scholarship program for children with disabilities and life threatening conditions. (In 2012, alone, STAT provided scholarships for 223 children across two States, including 11 Counties) 2. Strides - a literacy/language and communication program on horseback that provides individuals with their own iPads, a 1:1 licensed speech language pathologist to teach and train the rider and his/her parents to program and utilize the device effectively, and college interns from Ithaca College to help provide assistance to each family on a personal level. 3. The Promise Project - a program designed for at risk teenagers (teens who have been abused or neglected to teens who have simply slipped through the cracks at school or who are extremely shy or who draw back from contact of others). The Promise connects teens to horses, children with special needs, and one another. Small groups of teen (primarily girls) are enrolled in leadership and team building workshops combining equine assisted learning (EAL) and Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. The interaction with the special needs riders helps to teach anti-bullying and compassion for the disabled. We also, on occasion, collaborate with local Universities to conduct research related to equine-assisted therapy, helping to explore the claimed yet unsubstantiated benefits of equine-assisted activities and therapies - leading to the discovery of effective methods and techniques. STAT also offers annual AHA Workshops for licensed professionals wishing to obtain certification in Hippotherapy from the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA).
all
2007
AHA, E3A, PATH, EAGALA, PANO, GPNP, Guidestar
Philanthropy Incubator Small NFP of the Year (2011, 2015)
Business Description
STAT promotes and facilitates Equine-Assisted activities to children with special needs and at risk youth. We partner with multiple equine centers to provide families with access to equine therapy and educational activities throughout New York and Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 by a mom who witnessed immediate improvements in her son Mason, who, when he began riding at age 2 1/2, was unable to sit independently. After only 11 sessions, he was sitting and by age 8 Mason was walking independently. Mason's mom, a professional grant writer and program manager, began to search for funding to enable other families like hers to afford the amazing, unique, and equally beneficial therapy on horseback.
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