Shaking the horrors of war
By Cara Spilsbury, Staff Writer
Sun, May 11 2008
When Donald O'Hagan of Haverhill returned from the frontlines of the Vietnam War, his life was never the same. He can't seem to shake the horrors of war, or how it felt when he returned home to hear chants of baby killer.
An Air Force veteran, O'Hagan suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a severe and ongoing condition formerly known as shell shock; that develops after exposure to extreme psychological trauma.
Dusty is officially Windrush's first bilingual therapy horse!
Yashira, a Windrush participant, has decided Dusty needs to be fluent in both languages. During her weekly lesson she is slowly teaching him commands in Spanish.
Pretty soon the big guy will know, Walk, Trot, Canter and Whoa! in his second language. Nice work Dusty.
Fri May 02, 2008, 12:13 PM EDT
Boxford - Vietnam War veteran Donald O’Hagan says it was the first time he’s been excited about something in 25 years.
O’Hagan, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, began riding horses recently under the newly implemented Horses for Heroes program, being spread nationwide by Boxford’s Windrush Farm on Brookview Road.
A Very Special Week at Windrush Comes to a Close for Six Yongsters from Lawrence...
All six youngsters come to us through our collaboration with Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) to participate in our specially designed camp.
This week long program is geared towards inner city disadvantaged youth 'at risk' who would benefit from a camp experience.
The goals of this program are to teach respect for animals and humans, to improve the students' learning skills, to help them learn to problem solve and to work together, and to build their self esteem.
We also strive to give these children a week of fun, physical activity. This is the first of eight weeks dedicated to our specialized youth 'at risk' camp.
Our friends at Cakes For Occasions in Danvers have started, Cakes for Caring.
A fundraising endeavor in which they create a special cupcake for a 'nonprofit of the month' and donate $1 of each sale.
May is Windrush month and Cakes For Occasions will be onsite at Farm Day on May 3.
Giving has never tasted so good!
We are happy to report that our Horses for Heroes (H4H) program is successfully off the ground.
At the end of March 2008, Mike Ingraham from the Haverhill Veterans Administration got in contact with Windrush through board member, Candy Alsop. Mike believes in our program and has graciously offered transportation to any veterans able to attend our therapeutic classes. Veteran Donald has been benefiting from our therapy since!
Thanks to private donations, we had full scholarships available this spring to three (3) veterans with disabilities. Donald is able to participate with no cost to him. In fact, there are still openings for two (2) more veterans. If you know of anyone...please contact Josselyn, immediately.
Pictured are Don on his horse Judge enjoying this beautiful spring day at the farm.
Get this beautiful Windrush tote along with many other fun Windrush items!
Our friends at Firstgiving have made it SO easy to set up a fundraising page to benefit your favorite organization! Do you have a birthday coming up? Or perhaps you are involved in a walk? Or you would like to make a donation in memory of someone?
Well...why not set up a fundraising page to benefit Windrush? Then you can forward the link to all your friends and have them sponsor you! Check it out...
Recent Comments