Last Updated on February 26, 2022 by Chris and Lindsay
If you are an animal or horse lover and would like to volunteer in ways that use animals to help children with disabilities or you would like to help with children with disabilities and have experience in that area then Kids Up in La Paz, Mexico is the perfect organization to connect with.
You don’t have to have experience working around or with horses to volunteer. Any help setting up and breaking down the games used for the kids is appreciated. And if you want to learn how to groom and tack up the horses, no worries! Any of the volunteers or director would be glad to show you how to for a committed new volunteer! We can guarantee you that any way you can serve the kids and staff at Kids Up will be beneficial.
Whether you would like to volunteer in person or simply find ways to either directly support or to help raise support for the riding program, anything you can do is appreciated.
Volunteer in La Paz at Kids Up
Kids Up is a great place to volunteer in La Paz. The city itself is ripe with culture and plenty of things to do. But going the extra mile to serve the disabled children in the community will reap massive benefits for the children throughout their lives.
About Kids Up
Kids Up is a non-profit equine assisted therapeutic riding center that was founded and is currently run by SuSu Sanders and affiliated with Care For Kids La Paz.
Equine assisted therapy is a therapeutic alternative that takes advantage of the movement of the horse as a facilitator in the process of physical, mental and emotional rehabilitation. A variety of games are also used to stimulate the children to promote stretching, strength and speech and to make the therapy fun. The program focuses on the communities with economic disadvantages without excluding people from higher socioeconomic sectors. People of all ages with some form of disability are able to benefit from the riding lessons. Mainly the program helps those with autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, developmental delay, traumatic brain injuries and many other mental health problems.
Kids Up cannot operate without the help and donation of others. So we would encourage you to consider the ways in which you can be involved with the therapeutic riding program whether it be sidewalking while a child is riding, playing games or grooming a horse. Or making a monetary donation to the program if you can’t volunteer your time.
Our Experience Volunteering at Kids Up
We mainly helped with the horse side of things when we volunteered at Kids Up. Lindsay has worked with and ridden horses most of her life so she worked mostly with the horses grooming and getting them ready for the lessons and leading the horse during the therapy. Chris helped by setting up the cones for the course and games for the kids to play and then breaking it all down at the end of the sessions.
Lindsay’s vast experience with horses and our past fostering kids at a ranch made this volunteer opportunity at Kids Up perfect for us. Using the horses to help disabled people and children was right up our alley. The horses are always in need of exercise and grooming on days when there are no lessons. During lessons sidewalkers are always needed to keep the kids steady and from falling off the horse. And if you have experience working with kids or adults with disabilities then perhaps you could suggest other games or activities to do.
Even if you have no experience in either area you can still help out! There is also work to do on the property where the horses stay and the lessons are given. Corals and fences are always in need of mending or paint. Or just cleaning up the general area is always appreciated. Monetary donations are always accepted to help families in poverty pay for the therapy and cover veterinary and care costs for the horses. Helmets are always needed for lessons, you can donate gently used or new certified horseback riding helmets to the program.
How To Connect with Kids Up
You can connect directly with SuSu in regard to kids up activities, volunteering and donating. For more information, see the following:
Contact information
- Website: https://careforkidslapaz.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsUpLaPaz/
- Phone Number: +52 612 141 8875
- Address / Directions: (if available)
Other Ways to Support Kids Up
If you are unable to arrange to physically volunteer at Kids Up, you can still be involved in a number of ways.
- Donate. You can donate directly through the Care For Kids website. Any amount will assist in sponsoring therapy lessons or care for the horses.
- Donate Goods. Kids Up is always in need of horseback riding helmets for the therapy lessons and grooming supplies and tack for the horses. If you are able to donate toys to be used for the therapy lessons – or contact Adam for specific needs in the program – your donation will go a long way toward offsetting costs incurred by the program.
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