Daily Point of Light Award recognizes RTT volunteer for therapeutic horseback riding work

Janis Childs, a volunteer at the Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham, has been honored with a Daily Point of Light Award by Points of Light, a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world.

Janis Childs, a volunteer at Riding
To The Top Therapeutic Riding
Center in Windham, has been
honored with a Daily Point of
Light Award by the Points of
Light organization. From left are
Neil Bush, Points of Light
Chairman of the Board, Janis
Childs, and Jennifer Sirangelo,
Points of Light President and
CEO. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Childs received this recognition for her volunteer work at Riding To The Top. Her ability to relate to people of all ages, her dedication and her caring personality are traits that have served her well professionally and in her many volunteer roles over the years. As a retired USM faculty member (School of Nursing), Janis is no stranger to service, whether it was working with her patients as a young nurse, educating future nurses in her role at USM or giving of her time and talent as a volunteer. In addition to her countless hours at RTT, she formerly served as a volunteer with the Coast Guard Auxiliary for many years.

Many kids dream about having a pony at some point or another, and Childs was no different. She loved horses and often begged her parents to get one. With her father in the military, her family wasn’t in a position to bring along livestock every time they moved to a different base or duty station. But that didn’t stop her from putting a saddle on her bicycle with a tail off the back and a rubber horse head on the handlebars.

“When I was looking at retirement, I knew that I wanted to do something to be involved with my community,” she said. “And there happened to be an article in the newspaper about Riding To The Top.”

Riding to the Top (RTT) owns a 50-acre farm and provides equine assisted services to children and adults. The interaction between horse and rider is designed to improve health and well-being but, as Janis would soon find out, also provides unbridled joy to clients and volunteers alike. The idea of working with horses and young riders seemed perfect, and after an initial visit, she was hooked. Janis has been volunteering at RTT for the last 12 years. During this time, she has assisted with nearly every aspect of the organization--from barn chores, to leading horses and sidewalking in lessons, to helping with RTT’s carriage driving program, to assisting with special events and projects and serving as a member of RTT’s Board of Directors for nine years.

“We almost get more out of it than the riders. They’re such an inspiration, and the horses are just magnificent. It’s really an honor to be there,” Childs said.

The Daily Point of Light Award uplifts individuals who lead, lend support, and take action for causes they care about on their path to leading a fully engaged civic life. The award is given five days a week as Points of Light honors individuals creating meaningful change to meet community needs, efforts that often lead to long-term solutions and impact social problems in their local communities.

President George H.W. Bush was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House, conferring 1,020 Daily Point of Light Awards on citizens and organizations making a difference in other people’s lives and solving community problems. Points of Light continues this recognition and now has more than 7,500 honorees to date.

“The Daily Point of Light Award recognizes those who saw something they wanted to improve in the world, then through their time, talent and efforts, began making those improvements,” said Diane Quest, Interim President and CEO at Points of Light. “We’re pleased to honor Janis for her amazing work.”

Janis continues to inspire others with her work and hopes to show others they can make a difference in their communities too.

To learn more about Janis’s work, visit https://tinyurl.com/JanisChilds.

About Riding to the Top

Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center (RTT) was founded in 1993. Its mission is to enhance health and wellness through equine-assisted services. RTT is the state’s only PATH International accredited center (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International) solely dedicated to Equine Assisted Services. More than 250 participants are impacted annually, assisted by certified instructors, a herd of 17 horses and close to 100 volunteers, all specially trained to assist with therapeutic riding, carriage driving, equine assisted learning and PT/OT services utilizing equine movement. Riding To The Top is a community-based nonprofit, receives no federal or state funding and provides scholarships to over 60 percent of its clients. For more information about client services, volunteering, or making a gift, please visit us at www.ridingtothetop.org or call 207-892-2813.

About Points of Light

Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 177 affiliates across 38 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 16 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, visit pointsoflight.org. <