EmpoweRanch

04/17/2025

🌟 Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Equip to Empower event on Saturday, April 5th! 🌟
We had such a fun and impactful day filled with movement, connection, and community. From hatha yoga and gardening to practicing roping skills and meeting the horses and baby chicks, every activity was full of energy and purpose.
Your presence and support made a big difference, and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to come together. Thanks to you, we’re one step closer to improving accessibility and adaptive programming at EmpoweRanch. 💚

04/14/2025

THANK YOU for supporting our Arizona Gives Day fundraiser on April 1st! We welcomed new donors and committed seasoned supporters who contributed to this initiative to raise funds to improve accessibility for people of all abilities to enjoy our therapeutic outdoor programs to the fullest extent possible.

We can't wait to show you how these donations are put to use to grow our impact. Stay tuned!

04/10/2025

EmpoweRanch made it to the big news! Thank you to the driven Teravalis team at Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. and FOX 10 Phoenix for coming out to EmpoweRanch to lift us up and share our mission and impact with more people who could benefit from our outdoor therapeutic recreation and education programs!

EmpoweRanch is helping people of all ages and backgrounds through outdoor and animal therapy.

04/05/2025

Today starting at 9am is our FREE Equip to Empower FUNdraiser at EmpoweRanch with hatha yoga, gardening, meet & greets with the animals, arts & crafts, and a silent auction! We're conveniently located near Dobbins and Central.

Please RSVP at the link below if you and your family plan to join us. We'll see you at the ranch!

☀️ Equip to Empower is THIS SATURDAY! ☀️

We’re just days away from Equip to Empower, and we can’t wait to see you there! Attendance is FREE. If you haven’t already, please RSVP today so we can plan accordingly: forms.gle/SjaRvdzmBQsmC14Y6

📅 Event Date: Saturday, April 5th
🕘 Time: 9 AM – 12 PM
📍 Location: EmpoweRanch at South Mountain near Dobbins & Central
Address: 308 West Siesta Way, Phoenix, AZ 85041

Attendees will participate in arts & crafts, a meet-and-greet with the herd & chicks, an intro to gardening, and Hatha yoga. Participation in each activity is encouraged but not mandatory, so you can engage at your own comfort level!

Silent auction: We are extremely grateful to the generous donors who have made donations for the silent auction! We are still accepting gift baskets or high-quality items! If you’d like to donate, please contact Rebecca Arvold at [email protected].

🌟 Support EmpoweRanch on our website at: empoweranch.org/donate
Every contribution helps us provide adaptive equipment and improve accessibility at the ranch!

We’re looking forward to a morning of fun, learning, and community support. See you there! You can email Rebecca Arvold at [email protected] with any questions!

04/02/2025

🌟 Volunteers Needed! 🌟

Join us at EmpoweRanch for our Equip to Empower FUNdraiser on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM! (volunteer hours from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM)🐴🌿🎨
📅 Training (optional but recommended): Friday, April 4th | 5:00 - 6:00 PM

This is an amazing opportunity to support an inclusive, fun-filled event that welcomes all ages and abilities while raising awareness and funds to improve accessibility at the ranch.

Volunteer Roles Include:
🎨 Arts & Crafts
🌱 Intro to Gardening
🧘 Hatha Yoga
🐴 Meet & Greet with the Herd & Chicks
✅ Check-in Table & Silent Auction

📍 Location: EmpoweRanch – 308 W Siesta Way, Phoenix, AZ 85041

🔗 How to Sign Up:
1️⃣ Email [email protected] to confirm your interest!
2️⃣ After confirmation, register on Vome (our volunteer platform) at https://empoweranch.org/volunteer
If you don’t have a Vome profile and need help, we’ll guide you through the process—we want to make it easy for you to get involved!

Come be part of something special—help create a welcoming and inclusive space while making a real impact! 💙🐎

04/02/2025

Here's an opportunity for Phoenix veterans that would like to learn to play guitar! 🎶🎵🎸

Want to learn to play the guitar?

Next fall, join our Music for Vets program and learn to play the acoustic guitar! This 12-week program meets every Thursday, culminating in a special graduation ceremony where each participant will receive a brand-new acoustic guitar, a guitar case, and a bag of accessories. Many of our instructors are past participants and combat veterans, bringing both experience and camaraderie to the sessions. Spots are available now—apply today for this exciting opportunity! Participants must reside in the Phoenix Metro area and have reliable transportation.

Learn more and sign up at vetengagement.asu.edu/music-for-vets.

04/01/2025

Last Thursday's VORTEX (Veterans Outdoor Recreational Therapy Equine Xperience) session in partnership with Arizona Elk Society Heroes Rising Outdoors was just what we all needed - a little R&R and reflection with the herd and each other!

04/01/2025

Time is running out to sign your kids or grandkids up for our new 6-week RANCH (Recreation Adventure Nature Character Horsemanship) Kids afternoon program which kicks off TODAY 4:30pm-5:45pm!
Register at empoweranch.org

FYI - You can still register your RANCH Kids even if they can't make it to today's session as there will be five more to come in this series. Thanks to our donors, scholarship-reduced rates are available!

ESA Families, we are on ClassWallet!

DETAILS & REGISTRATION at https://empoweranch.org

Educational Services Alliance

04/01/2025

☀️ Equip to Empower is THIS SATURDAY! ☀️

We’re just days away from Equip to Empower, and we can’t wait to see you there! Attendance is FREE. If you haven’t already, please RSVP today so we can plan accordingly: forms.gle/SjaRvdzmBQsmC14Y6

📅 Event Date: Saturday, April 5th
🕘 Time: 9 AM – 12 PM
📍 Location: EmpoweRanch at South Mountain near Dobbins & Central
Address: 308 West Siesta Way, Phoenix, AZ 85041

Attendees will participate in arts & crafts, a meet-and-greet with the herd & chicks, an intro to gardening, and Hatha yoga. Participation in each activity is encouraged but not mandatory, so you can engage at your own comfort level!

Silent auction: We are extremely grateful to the generous donors who have made donations for the silent auction! We are still accepting gift baskets or high-quality items! If you’d like to donate, please contact Rebecca Arvold at [email protected].

🌟 Support EmpoweRanch on our website at: empoweranch.org/donate
Every contribution helps us provide adaptive equipment and improve accessibility at the ranch!

We’re looking forward to a morning of fun, learning, and community support. See you there! You can email Rebecca Arvold at [email protected] with any questions!

04/01/2025

Adventure. Discover. Thrive. 😊🌲 That's what Empoweranch is all about! Your donations will go directly towards helping us enhance accessibility at the ranch! Donate now and be a part of the adventure! 🌟https://www.azgives.org/organization/Empoweranch

04/01/2025

Imagine the impact of inclusive, holistic, accessible outdoor, animal-assisted and nature-based therapeutic and educational programs designed for people of all abilities and backgrounds. This Arizona Gives Day, April 1, 2025, we're dedicated to enhancing accessibility (e.g., installing an accessible mounting ramp) at our ranch, aiming to provide the opportunity for as many people as possible to participate. Your donation will directly support these vital improvements.
To support us further, you can start your own fundraiser to support our platform! Learn more: https://www.azgives.org/organization/Empoweranch

03/30/2025

Our partner, Arizona Elk Society, is hosting their annual Wapiti Weekend family camp in northern AZ, and registration is open! This is a fun-filled weekend of outdoor skills and recreation for everyone! Hurry though - this camp always fills fast!

Wapiti Weekend registration is open! Hurry it will fill up fast. This is a great weekend for families to get out of heat and enjoy time together and have the kids learn outdoor skills! For more details visit our website arizonaelksociety.org

03/29/2025

Are your kids ready for weekly afternoons at the ranch? Our new RANCH Kids program starts this Tuesday 4:30pm-5:45pm! Find details and register at empoweranch.org

Educational Services Alliance

03/24/2025

Meet our Spring 2025 Recreational Therapy Intern, Rebecca Arvold:
Hi, I’m Rebecca Arvold. I grew up in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and moved to Buffalo Grove when I was 15 years old. During high school, I started my first job at a forest preserve. That job is where I discovered my work ethic and I loved working in nature 8 hours a day.

During this job, I knew something was missing. After a few weeks of working this job, my mom made me volunteer at her church to be a 1:1 aide for children with disabilities. Although that gig wasn’t my favorite, it made me realize this is what I need to be doing with my life. A combination of staying in touch with nature while working with people with disabilities.

When I visited Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL, a recreation professor introduced me to the TR field and a lightbulb went off in my head. At that moment I knew I would be a certified recreational therapist. I got accepted into the university, and I’m currently doing my last semester.

I’m looking forward to joining EmpoweRanch because everyone works together to achieve a common goal. That goal is to introduce those in underserved communities to therapeutic activities in nature. I’m looking forward to being a part of starting the new programs and gaining experience in an outdoor TR setting. I cannot wait for the projects I work on to have a life-changing impact on the clients we will serve.

03/24/2025

Our recreational therapy intern, Rebecca Arvold, has been working hard on her Equip to Empower project, a fundraiser to support adaptive equipment and accessibility at EmpoweRanch! 🐴🌿 This event will feature fun activities like arts and crafts, meeting the animals, gardening, and yoga—all while raising awareness for inclusivity in outdoor recreation.
She realized her RSVP form settings were restricted (oops!), but it’s now open for everyone. If you’re planning to attend, please take a moment to RSVP—we can’t wait to see you there!
📅 April 5th
📍 EmpoweRanch
🔗 https://forms.gle/Z8QjeB7VYV588MEL7

03/24/2025

03/21/2025

Happy Friday! Today, interns Rebecca and Vimbai are enjoying this gorgeous weather as they work on their kayak safety training and certification. This will prepare them to join our team for our future kayak programs introducing people to nature adventures on the water!

If you're interested in becoming an EmpoweRanch volunteer or intern, you can apply at empoweranch.org

Don't delay though - we have more trainings coming up with limited spaces available in preparation for our summer program season!

Thank you Josh with AZGFD for making this experience happen!