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HORSE RESCUER TO PRESENT PLAQUE TO DUTCHESS ARC
December 12, 2007

In a heartwarming turn of events, an organization for which Dutchess ARC consumers assemble a product is coming to the agency’s Catherine R. Seeberger Center in Amenia on Tuesday, December 18 at 11:00am to present an award to the agency.

Maria Genovesi, Executive Director of the Godspeed Horse Hostel, has been working with Dutchess ARC’s consumers and staff for just over a year to produce the U-Bake Horse Treats that she sells in order to support her horse rescue operation in Amenia, NY. Maria calls the arrangement perfect fit. When they began working together in 2006, Maria had no idea that her organization’s mission of rescuing neglected or unwanted horses, mostly from the hormone replacement drug industry in Canada, would spill over into another organization’s mission of challenging and empowering people with developmental disabilities, their families, and staff to achieve personal fulfillment through lifelong learning.

U-Bake Horse Treats are treats that horse owners and fanciers make themselves by mixing a package of all natural ingredients with water and then baking them in an oven or microwave. A horse rescue awareness bracelet is included in each package.

The ingredients for U-Bake Horse Treats are mixed, bagged into 16 ounce packages, then labeled and boxed, mostly by consumer James G. at the Catherine R. Seeberger Center, with oversight and quality control provided by Dutchess ARC job coach Lori Parsons. Maria Genovesi knows that James really looks forward to working on her project, and she says that this makes her particularly happy.

Another beautiful aspect of this working partnership comes from the Dutchess ARC Day Habilitation department, under the direction of Bonnie Ouellette, whose consumers make bars of soap in the shapes of horse heads and horse shoes, which they then donate to the Godspeed Horse Hostel. Maria uses these as thank you gifts for donors to her cause.

As a horse farm owner, Maria doesn’t get to interact with a lot of people during the day, and she says, “I love going to Dutchess ARC. There’s never a bad day there. People are always so positive, and we’ve all become good friends.”

ABOUT DUTCHESS ARC
Dutchess ARC has been serving children and adults with developmental disabilities, and their families, since 1971. Headquartered in Pleasant Valley, and with locations through out Dutchess County, NY, they offer a full range of services including Service Coordination, Recreation & Youth Services, Guardianship & Consultation Services, Employment Services, Transitional School to Work Services, Day Services, Family Resources & Educational Advocacy, Residential Services, and Clinical Services. Dutchess ARC’s mission is to challenge and empower people with developmental disabilities, their families, and staff to achieve personal fulfillment through lifelong learning.