NEW! Upload your own pictures to share!

If you were with us and would like to share your pictures of the event, please email them to volunteer@projectride.org and we will add them to our slideshow.

THANK YOU to volunteers Kati Garner, Kirsten Hegge and volunteer/rider Dianne Smith for graciously sharing their beautiful photos with us!

Color Pictures from Kati and Dianne

Sepia Pictures by Kirsten

The third annual Challengers Car Club show benefiting Project RIDE was a big success! Thank you to our friends for producing another wonderful car show that raised funds for us to continue our special program.

Challengers club annual Classic Car Show benefiting Project RIDE! Located at the Project R.I.D.E. arena at 8840 Southside Ave. Raffles, music, treats to eat and new this year, a children’s carnival with games, crafts and even a special musical performance all presented by Project RIDE Summer Leadership Institute volunteers! FREE fun for the whole family! If you own a pre-1972 beauty you’d like to show off, registration is only $15 onsite from 8am to 10am. The show is 10am – 2pm.
2010 Car Show
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2009 Car Show
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THANK YOU to the Over the Hill Gang club for hosting another wonderful car show! A great time was had by all and we raised funds to benefit our program. Were you at the event? Send us your pictures by using the upload button below.
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We’re Number One!!!

THANK YOU to our volunteers, student riders, parents and friends who joined us for a beautiful sunny day celebrating Elk Grove’s western heritage. We were proud to share the stage with many wonderful local organizations, schools and even animals, but of course we happen to think our parade entry was the best. But don’t take our word for it – not only did we win first place in our division but this year we actually won the Barbara McDaniel Award for Best Parade Float!

In keeping with our parade theme ‘Oh, to be 10 again’, our “Dave’s Candy Shoppe” float highlighted favorite memories of childhood: bubbles, wheels and hula hoops, riding horses and of course most of all CANDY! Our sandwich-board wearing friends and cowgirls on skates gave parade viewers about 150 pounds of candy! Without the help of a small army of dedicated and creative individuals, we could not have participated in this year’s festival. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all of you – you know who you are! Stay tuned; more pictures coming soon.

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Photo credit: Kati Garner

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Please click here if you are interested in remembering Baylee with a donation to Project R.I.D.E. Or you can purchase scrapbooking supplies from Scrap for a Cure and they will donate 5% of sales from April – June to Project RIDE.

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We like to think Carol Meador would be proud: over 700 guests joined us for our 4th annual Spaghetti Feed celebrating her life and service to our therapeutic riding program on November 7, 2009. They enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of spaghetti, salad and garlic bread, all hand-made by the talented people at Red Oak BBQ.

Games, Raffles, Prizes and More

Children of all ages played carnival games to win tickets to enter our children’s raffle. They enjoyed diving into a pile of hay to find prizes, fishing, basketball, and the popular “mystery box” that held surprising secrets of all sorts. One lucky little boy even walked away with a foosball table! The raffle and silent auction featured tables bulging with delights including a giant screen TV and commemorative 30 year anniversary belt buckles celebrating Project R.I.D.E.’s history in the Elk Grove community.

The Evening’s Highlights

Supervisor Don Nottoli presented a resolution honoring our organization’s 30 years of service to people with special needs, accepted by members of our Board of Directors and our Director of Operations Tina Calanchini. The event was made especially festive by the bouncy tunes of Valley Fog, an outstanding local cover band with a wide and upbeat repertoire that kept everyone’s feet tapping all night. We were especially pleased that some of our horseback riding students were able to attend, and many of our regular volunteers enjoyed an evening off while enjoying their dinner, served by attentive volunteers from Elk Grove High School Future Farmers of America and Pleasant Grove High School Key Club students. In addition, the Master’s Commission, the Cosumnes Services District Fire Department, The Elk Grove High School Do-Gooder’s Club, students from Sacramento State University and a small army of extremely dedicated individuals worked behind the scenes and at the event to make it such a resounding success.

We could not have produced such a wonderful event without the constant support of our dedicated volunteers, donors, our all-volunteer Board of Directors and all of our generous guests who came to celebrate with us and support our program. We are especially grateful for your support in these difficult economic times. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

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SLI Volunteers Sylvia Bauer, Katie Martinez, Ashleigh Simmons and Courtney Crossman with Volunteer Coordinator Marisa DeSalles, kneeling

What do Miss Teen Folsom, a championship Dressage rider, and the State Fair Grand Reserve Champion for eggs have in common? They’re all part of Project R.I.D.E.’s Summer Leadership Institute! This summer, Project R.I.D.E. developed a pilot program for highly motivated teen volunteers. In exchange for committing to spending 100 hours volunteering with us, the youth received special training and workshops, and were promoted after training to Leaders, who are in charge of the horse throughout our therapeutic riding lessons.

All extremely high achievers to begin with, the teen participants expanded their resumes this summer to include: producing a fundraising horse show that benefited Project R.I.D.E. with over $900; winning Champion in division while riding Arabian horses in dressage; and raising 33 Rhode Island Red hens whose eggs won Grand Reserve Champion in the State Fair! Individually and collectively they are simply wonderful young people, and it has been our pleasure to get to know them.

We could not be prouder of these young people. They represent our hope for the future of this country, and we are honored that they chose to spend time with us helping people with special needs achieve new heights.

This successful pilot will expand next summer. Inquire today about opportunities for teen volunteers in Summer 2010! ride@projectride.org