Lovelane’s annual 5K run is coming in June!  Register now to participate in this exciting family event on the Weston Town Green.  Runners, walkers, supporters, friends and spectators are all encouraged to join us as we lace up our running shoes in support of a great cause.  This professionally timed, USATF sanctioned run has become a big hit over the years and in 2010 we expect over 300 runners to join us.  There will be food, music, face painting, prizes, balloons and a clown all waiting for you and your family.  What a terrific way to spend a summer Sunday! The kids can enjoy a ½ mile Kid’s Fun Run or a Diaper Dash for the extra young athletes in the crowd.

Register to run at active.com and start your own fundraising through Lovelane’s First Giving page, collect pledges from your friends and family.  All of the proceeds from the Run for Love help to keep Lovelane’s very special riders in the saddle by contributing to the cost of the therapeutic riding program and supporting the Susan McDaniel Tuition Assistance Fund. 

The run was established in 1996 and re-dedicated in honor of Susan McDaniel in 2005.  Susan was an athlete, actress and equestrian and rode at Lovelane throughout her two year battle with cancer.  Participants carry on Susan’s legacy by raising funds for a program she loved and believed in. 

For more information and to register click here.

The town of Lincoln, held its annual winter carnival festivities during the last weekend of January.  Lovelane was thrilled to participate in this wonderful town event.  On Sunday afternoon, we opened our doors to the community and invited all comers to pay us a visit.  Over 60 people made the trek down Baker Bridge Road to check out the big green barn.  Guests mingled and sipped coffee and hot cocoa while watching a lesson in progress.  Lovelane staff conducted tours of the facility and introduced our four-legged friends to all.  Children munched on homemade cookies and other treats while decorating bags and filling them with apples & carrots for the horses.  The horse treats were delivered to the stalls to be enjoyed later that evening.  Guests were able to watch a short video about therapeutic horseback riding and staff was on hand to answer questions that came up.  We were delighted and honored that so many Lincoln residents braved the cold to learn about the work we do at Lovelane.

Be sure to read about our new student Eddie and our new horses Pumpkin Pie, Will, and Spike.  All in our December Newsletter.

Double your gift to Lovelane with a corporate match from your employer!

Link to this-
Make your annual gift to Lovelane go farther!

Follow this link link to list to see a list of companies that we believe will match the charitable donations made by their employees.  Check to see if your company is there.  If it is, contact your HR department to see if your gift to Lovelane qualifies for a match.  Send us your matching gift form c/o Lovelane Development Office, 40 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.  Please let us know if you find that we’ve listed a company in error.

If your company is not listed, go ahead and check anyway! Let us know if your company will match a gift and we’ll add it to our list.  This is a great opportunity for your money to work harder at no additional cost to you. 

If you have any questions, contact the Lovelane Development Office at sally@lovelane.org or Jennifer@lovelane.org.

Help us secure a sustainable future for the special athletes at Lovelane!

In Memory of an Old Friend:  The Echo Fund
Contribute to the care and comfort of Lovelane’s therapy horses.

On Saturday, October 24th over 100 people joined us on Baker Bridge Road to celebrate the fifth birthday of our beautiful barn. What a wonderful event it was! Parents & students, neighbors, volunteers, newcomers, staff and supporters came in out of the rain to hoist a glass of cider and sing happy birthday to Lovelane.

The barn looked beautifully festive, bedecked with photographs, lights, pumpkins and gorgeous ‘mums’ donated by Winston Flowers for the occasion. Guests sampled the wonderful gourmet cupcakes donated by Sweet while their children played games, made horse treats and had their faces painted. Down the hall in the therapy room, “Silly Willy” the clown entertained the little ones and made fantastic balloon animals.

It wouldn’t be a true Lovelane event without a student demonstration. Founder Debby Sabin introduced the therapeutic riding program and three Lovelane students willingly rode for the crowd. The beaming face of M.E. as she high-fived her instructors spoke volumes. Eddie rode while his parents told the crowd his story and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Both Eddie and M.E. are new to Lovelane and showed how this new state-of-the-art facility has enabled Lovelane to increase our capacity and bring children from the waitlist into the ring. Finally, one of our longtime students rode independently. Both Campbell, who has been with us since before we moved here, and his mother spoke eloquently about how the barn has changed their experience so dramatically.

After the demonstration, Allison Moskow, long time volunteer, friend and supporter, spoke about her commitment to Lovelane and why ongoing financial contributions are so vital to a place like this. The crowd participated in a rousing version of “Happy Birthday” while the cake was brought out to the middle of the ring. Student, Sylvie L. helped to cut the cake.

Special thanks to the many volunteers who worked to make this event such a success and to the parents who contributed items for games. Additional thanks to Wilson Farms, Blue Ribbon Barbeque, Sweet and Winston Flowers for their in-kind contributions. Happy Birthday, Lovelane!

This event is supported by generous in kind donations from:

Catch up on the latest news in the Lovelane Post.

Lovelane Post, Fall 2009

Thanks to our partnership with Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids, five Lovelane students (and five lucky parents) won the chance to attend a Red Sox game at Fenway and to meet Kevin on the field before the game. Kids and parents chatted with Kevin and his teammates, posed for photos, had autographs signed and just enjoyed hanging out with the Sox! They then cheered the Sox on in a game against the Marlins.

Despite the cloudy weather, over 356 runners from the Greater Boston area participated in the 5k Run, resulting in $110,000 to support our program and the Susan McDaniel Scholarship Fund for tuition assistance. 

Lovelane wants to give a huge thanks to Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids and to our many other sponsors, who deserve a big thank you as well.  Their monetary and in-kind donations allowed us to create a truly fun, festive and family-centered event on the Weston Town Green.

• Dogwatch, Elsie Rodney Stables, Middlesex Savings Bank, Morrow & Co, McDaniel/Randle Family, Smith Family & Suburban Striders provided direct sponsorship.
• Saucony, Marathon Sports, Fast Splits, Greater Boston Running Company, and Boston Sports Clubs donated runner awards.
• Owater, Whole Foods, Omni Supermarket of Weston, Brueggers and Finagle bagel bakeries kept our runners hydrated and fed.
• Blue Ribbon brought sunshine to the day with lemonade, a team award and a percentage of sales donated to Lovelane. 
• Peterson’s Party Rental provided the tenting.
• Greendress Creative created our beautiful flyers.
• Brigitte Voelk Photography captured the memories.

The Susan McDaniel Run for Love will take place next year on June 13, 2010 – mark your calendars!

A Perfect Match!  This year the Susan McDaniel Run for Love held on June 14, 2009 is supported by the charitable organization, Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids, with a match of registration fees, pledge donations and sponsorships.  Learn more about the Run for Love, the Youk’s Kids Challenge and how you can get involved by visiting the Run for Love page.