Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Healing Strides of VA
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: PO Box 456
City: Boones Mill
State: VA
Postal Code: 24065
Main Phone: 540-334-5825
Main Fax: 540-334-2941
Organization Website: https://healingstridesofva.org/
Employer ID Number: 54-1594325
Organization Tax Status: 501 C 3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: February 6, 2026
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Finding Your Stride
Project Description:

Finding Your Stride is an 8-week equine-assisted Mental Wellness Coaching track offered through our Mental Health, Education, and Coaching program. It is designed to support youth ages 6–17 who are living with physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges. Through intentional interaction with horses and structured activities facilitated by trained professionals, participants build confidence, self-awareness, and essential life skills within a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.
The program is offered three times over a 12-month period and serves a total of 24 children in small group settings. Each cohort participates in weekly sessions that align equine-assisted experiences with clearly defined developmental goals. Weekly themes focus on critical areas of child development, including social connection, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, and resilience. Sessions are intentionally designed to help participants practice skills that support progress toward age-appropriate developmental milestones while strengthening self-esteem, independence, and peer relationships.
Beyond skill development, Finding Your Stride provides an important opportunity to identify mental health needs that often went unrecognized until COVID-19 and have since intensified due to the ongoing challenges facing today’s youth. These challenges include prolonged social isolation, academic disruption, family stress, exposure to trauma, economic instability, community violence, and increasing social and digital pressures, to name a few. Through consistent observation, relationship-based engagement, and structured interaction, staff are able to recognize indicators that a child may benefit from additional mental health support and, when appropriate, recommend referrals or continued services.
By combining evidence-informed equine-assisted practices with a trauma-responsive, child-centered approach, Finding Your Stride offers a holistic pathway for growth. The program empowers youth to discover their strengths, build effective coping strategies, and establish a foundation for long-term emotional and social well-being—helping each participant truly find their stride.

Total Project Budget: $133,200

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Modest Programming Fees: $, Thurman Foundation $20,000 Potential; Archer Charitable Foundation $25,000 Potential; Private Donors $35, 000 Committed, Kiwanis of Roanoke $3,500 Committed

Project Duration: One Year
Geographical Area Served: State of Virginia
Age Group To Be Served: 6-17

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: A’Jay
Contact Last Name: Scipio
Contact Title:
Contact Phone:
Contact Email: